


Bucky's Pen-Pal

by Grell_Belle_1945



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Anxiety, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Dogs, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Fluff, Healing, Letters, Mentions of past abuse, Music, No Dogs will be harmed in the writing of this story, Pen Pals, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Property Damage, Queen (Band) References, Queen - Freeform, Scars, Service Dogs, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Sweet Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-06-23 16:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 27,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19705117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grell_Belle_1945/pseuds/Grell_Belle_1945
Summary: Reader wants to meet someone new. But, being an introvert with a fear of people, doesn’t want to actually meet them. So, turning to her trusty phonebook, she finds an address at random and sets off to write to her new friend, her new pen-pal.Bucky hardly ever leaves the compound. He has everything he needs thanks to Stark and being introduced to the wonders of online shopping, but he feels like he’s fallen into a rut. But, being an introvert as well as having a fear of the public’s eye, he can’t do anything about it. Until the day he checks the mail.





	1. Chapter 1

_Dear Pen-pal,_

_Hi! My name is (Y/N), and I’m writing in hopes of making a new friend._

_Now, don’t feel the need to respond if you don’t want to write to me, just return the letter and I’ll find a new address to write too. We don’t ever have to meet up either; I’ve just been feeling as if I needed a change in my routine, something new to look forward too. So, I have written to you!_

_Here’s the part in the letter where I tell you some info about me! Well, like I wrote at the top, my name is (Y/N). I’m 27 years old and live in America... obviously I do because that’s what the return address says._

_Um, my favourite colour is___ and I have a dog, a Rottweiler, named King. He’s kind of the only reason I go outside, my family was pretty happy I got him because of that. He’s my best friend and the cutest, most cuddly living creature I’ve ever known! He’s very protective of me and, though this always makes me sad to think about, most people don’t bother the two of us when we go out because of his breed. I mean why discriminate an entire breed of dog because some people decided to raise theirs to be violent or angry! It’s the owners’ fault that the Rottweiler have a bad rep now, bulldogs too!_

_Sorry, I kind of got carried away. Anyway, I’m an only child. But I try to stay in contact with my parents as much as possible, but now that they’re retired it’s actually harder to talk with them. They love to travel! I get new postcards and souvenirs every time they go somewhere new, but they normal head to the tropics, so I don’t get new postcards often. Do you travel?_

_Well, I don’t want to write too much now. Otherwise I won’t have anything to write later! I hope to hear from you, and I hope that you’re having a good day when you read this, if not, then I hope that this puts a smile on your face!_

_Sincerely, your new Pen-pal,_

_(Y/N)_

* * *

Looking at her finished letter, she contemplated the pros and cons of sending it. Most people would probably just return it without even knowing the contents. Others may just throw it out. With a sigh, (Y/N) grabbed one of the envelopes she bought for this hobby, slid the letter in and sealed it closed.

She paused before writing her address, “Would they actually care? What if I’m setting myself up for pain? I mean, who knows who’ll get this. Is this a good idea?” she turned to King who was lying on her bed chewing on one of her fluffiest socks, “Hey! I don’t chew on your things, so leave mine alone!”

(Y/N) pouts while King just yawns at her before he continued to slobber all over one of her favourite socks, “I just wrote how great you are and this is how you repay me?”

With a huff, she turns back to her desk and nodded in determination. She signed her name and address in the corner with unnecessary flourish, she found one of her fancier stamps, a cute little blue square with an octopus on it, and placed it carefully in the opposite corner. Now she has to go through with delivering this, she just used one of her good stamps.

“That’s that.” She stands with her letter and turns to her, sometimes loyal, best friend, “Well, King. This could lead to having one less sheet of paper and envelope, or it could lead to a new friend. Lord knows we need one.”

King stopped his chewing to bark in reply. (Y/N) smiled and went to her room to get ready to head out.

* * *

Bucky read through the letter a second time. When he went to go check the mail, he wasn’t expecting a letter without a specified recipient. The address on the envelope was the wrong one for the compound, and it didn’t even occur to him that the post office made a mistake until after he opened the letter.

Seeing that the sender wasn’t even sure that she would get a reply eased his conscious a bit and he thought about the repercussion of admitting he technically read someone else’s mail. Should he reply, would tony be mad for giving away the address to the compound? Would having a pen-pal be so bad? It would be something new to look forward to like (Y/N) had written, it would give him something new to do, someone new to talk too and there was no reason that he had to even let this person know who he truly was. She didn’t plan on meeting with the person who responds to this letter, so having an anonymous friend could be a nice change to the pitying or cold looks he sometimes got around the other Avengers.

But, just to be safe. He should probably ask Steve what he thought.

He looked at the bucket of mail that was left and groaned. Why did the team get so much mail? He understood that most of it was fan mail and such, but could Stark not hire someone to at least organise it for them? Every time the mail came in the common room turned into a war zone of open envelopes, child drawings, glitter and the occasional odd smelling package that becomes a dare to open. Every now and then a contest starts to see who got the most love declarations, the most praise and the like. Bucky never won any of them.

He was glad that he got so few letters, and that the team let him search through the box to find them before grabbing at their own. But he was also melancholy about it. Some praise would be nice, even if it came from a random stranger.

Maybe this pen-pal thing could work for him?

“Um, Steve? Do we have any envelopes?”


	2. Chapter 2

_Dear (Y/N),_

_I thought to tell you now, that the post made a mistake with your letter. But, I think that it’s a good thing they did. My name is James and I’ve kinda fallen into a rut, however your letter was a surprise and a nice one too. So, I’m happy to say that you have gained a Pen-pal._

_It’ll be nice to get to know someone new. I live with the same group of people and despite the different personalities and hobbies that everyone has; it can get pretty repetitive around here._

_So, I’m James. I’m 34, and I also live in America, I’m from Brooklyn originally but I moved around for a time. I may actually have to leave the country from time to time in the future because of my work; I’m in the security business. I just thought to tell you so you don’t think I stopped writing, that’d be pretty rude._

_I like the colour Blue, I don’t have any pets but a few of my roommates might as well be animals with the way they eat. My best friend, Steve, said I should get a dog. Maybe as these letters go on I could tell you why he thinks that. I just feel that the reason could be a bit heavy of a topic for the first letter. Now, what about you? Do you live with any of your friends, or just King?_

_I have traveled; I’ve been all over the world; going to different countries and cities over the years. I’ve been to so many places and done so much, I sometimes have a hard time remembering the place. Actually, my memory isn’t the best on a good day. Let alone when it’s overwhelmed by new surroundings. Have you been anywhere outside of America? Don’t know why I asked that, you probably would have mentioned it in your first letter. Or you could have saved it for future letters... Now I’m not sure._

_I’m not sure really if I should end this with questions or not, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable by my curiosity. So... I’ll just leave one. What’s your favourite music genre? That’s a safe one to ask, right?_

_Sincerely, your Pen-pal_

_James_

* * *

Bucky grimaced slightly at his hand writing. Despite the time he grew up in, as soon as computers were introduced, he stopped writing unless it was for a signature. Now it was slightly obvious that he was out of practice, but he felt that typing his response would make it less personal. You can tell a lot about a person in how they write.

Bucky, could see himself, that he was nervous while writing a response, some of the words were scratched out because of a mistake. It’s what he gets for writing in pen, but he didn’t want the pencil to smudge either. He occasionally tapped his pen on the page in thought and it left tiny ink dots in its place, and there was a small shake to some of his words when trying to find a way to describe himself but not say who he was.

 _That_ was a lot harder to do then he thought.

When he first asked Steve his thoughts on having a pen-pal, his friend was excitingly all for it. Bucky rolled his eyes at that thought; of course Steve was okay with it. If Bucky decided to take up cliff jumping with anvils, Steve would happily go with him, because it meant Buck was out and doing _something,_ other than ‘haunting’ the compound, as Tony put it.

It was when Steve mentioned going to meet his new friend someday, that he actually had his first doubt about doing this.

He, hesitantly, brought it up with Sam. The two having a rocky friendship, so he was expecting teasing or a laugh. Instead he got a kind smile and an explanation that having someone new to talk to would be good for him, and that the fact that it was being done over letters, it meant that Bucky had the chance of a new friendship in a way that he would be comfortable with.

Bucky was actually smiling at that thought, until Sam jokingly brought up that (Y/N) could actually be a kid playing a prank or _another_ lonely old man.

He found Natasha reading the letter after he came out of the shower. He will never understand why she feels the need to appear at the most random of times, but the only comment she made was that he needed to socialise, a pen-pal would help, but to be careful about what he wrote about, before standing and leaving.

It wasn’t until four in the morning, having been woken by a nightmare and unable to go back to sleep, that he actually set about to write a response.

With a deep breath; he grabbed an envelope, sealed his letter in, chose a stamp with a small red starfish (might as well, since she used an octopus.) He got dressed and left the compound in search of the nearest Post Office.

* * *

(Y/N) was sitting on her front porch; King was running between the front yard and the back yard, and she had the biggest smile on her face as she read through her mail.

At first, she was annoyed by all the bills and spam, but then she came across a pure white envelope, with quick but legible writing, and she became curious as to why she was getting a letter. Nobody wrote to her, and it wasn’t her parents hand writing. It wasn’t until she opened it that she remembered the pen-pal letter she sent out. With a happy gasp she read through the response.

The man, James, seemed a bit nervous to be writing. But his words were neat and seemed to be carefully picked. She loved that he chose to hand write his response. It makes it so much more personal.

His mention of traveling in the future brought a smaller smile to her face, it was sweet of him to tell her that, if they do keep up these letters, that there may be a time when he won’t be able to respond right away.

“He’s worried about making me uncomfortable, King! Even if I was the one to start all of this, he doesn’t want to scare _me_ off!” (Y/N) watched her dog zip back into the backyard without any acknowledgment, “Well!”

With a smile, she thought about her reply to James.


	3. Chapter 3

Bucky was sitting at the dining room table, it was Bruce’s turn to go and grab the mail from the front desk, so he was getting a little impatient. When one of the other’s went down to get their weekly quota of letters and packages, there was always a guarantee that a SHEILD agent or another scientist would stop them to talk.

It never bothered Bucky before, but now he knew he was getting mail, and he was looking forward to reading (Y/N)’s response. Two months have passed of their back and forth, their letters slowly getting longer; their talks have gotten more personal and deeper. He opened up about his anxiety towards being out in public and she explains her social anxiety. He mentions his time in the war, not specifying which one. (Y/N) slowly hinted at some scars of her own, when Bucky had read that letter he desperately wished he could go to help comfort her. He talks, as much as he can, about being an Avenger, though she still thinks he works security. She talks about her small little record store.

Now if only Bruce would get back so he could read her letter.

The two had been in a six letter long discussion about various forms of entertainment between the 50’s and 90’s. He didn’t have much input in the discussion just asking questions and commenting on what he could. She apparently loves to watch old 50’s movies, like It Came from Outer Space and Singin’ in the Rain. Her favourite artists and bands were Elvis, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Queen ( _because who doesn’t love Queen, what’s your favourite song of theirs?_ ) She didn’t name anymore after that; apparently she could go on for hours about music. He wonders what her reaction would be when she reads that he’s never listened to Queen.

“Hey, Frosty! Calm down, you’re gonna tap through the table if you keep going like that.”

Bucky’s finger stopped moving, but then his leg started to bounce instead.

Tony came up to stand beside him, “I have never seen you more excited for mail day then I have for the last few weeks. Why is that? Girlfriend sending in pictures the old fashioned way?”

His brow furrowed, “Pictures?”

Stark lifted an eyebrow in question, “Nudes?”

“Leave him alone, Tony. Bucky just has a pen-pal he’s been writing to.” Steve chimes in from across the room.

“Why don’t you just go and talk to them?”

“I-it’s not that easy.” Bucky mumbled, he would love to actually meet her some day. But there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t run screaming.

“Why not?”

Should Bucky explain (Y/N)’s anxiety, it wasn’t for him to talk about. He himself got real annoyed when Steve jumped in to explain things for him. Luckily for him, Bruce can in with the crate of mail.

“Alright, sorry for the wait.”

Bucky stood and took the crate from Bruce and started to rifle through, handing off letters to the others as he went so the process would be faster. He paused.

He didn’t get a letter.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Bucky stared at the large square package he held in his hand. It was, what felt like, sturdy cardboard, too big to be a box and too thin to be a picture frame, there was an even sturdier, but smaller square in the center, all of it wrapped in brown paper. But it was for him, he made sure to check after (Y/N)’s first letter that he wasn’t opening another person’s mail, but there on the front in (Y/N)’s pretty loopy writing was his name. Bucky never got packages.

“Buck?” Steve came up behind him, “You gonna open it?”

With a small nod, fully aware that everyone has paused what they were doing to watch, he took a hold of one corner and ripped the paper open. He slowly slipped his hand in and pulled out, what still seemed like sturdy cardboard, until the brown paper fully slipped away.

A large white square sat in his hands, a clown was juggling multicoloured balls on what appeared to be multiple earths, while a man looked to be tipping over. In the centre sat a CD, on it was the black and white image of four men. Bucky smiled, large and wide, as he read out the title for his team, “The Ultimate Best of Queen.” He read the title for the record, “and Innuendo.”

The Avengers looked around at each other, wondering how they were supposed to react to the music Bucky held, they looked to Steve and even he seemed confused.

Eventually, Sam piped up, “Why’d your friend send you Queen?”

With a small huff of a laugh, Bucky turned to his friends, “In my last letter... I told her that I’ve never heard Queen before... I didn’t think she’d do this.”

Steve smiled and clapped Bucky on the shoulder, “That was really ni-“

“You’ve never listened to Queen!” Tony squawked, with a shake of his head, Stark pulled Bucky over to his sound set up by the Television, “Well, no time like the present, pop the CD in and we can listen to it while we go through the mail.”

Bucky was about to protest when Wanda spoke quietly from her place beside Vision, “I am not sure if I’ve heard Queen.”

“I have not heard their music since receiving this body.” Vision added.

“They were on my list of things to catch up on.” Steve chimed in.

Tony clapped Bucky’s shoulder, “I think the players on shuffle if you want to change that.”

He nodded his head and opened case. Inside the cover was a small note.

_Hope you enjoy! My Favourite on this album is Radio Gaga, it was the first Queen song I ever heard._

Tony went back over to the mail and Steve was pretending not to watch as Bucky slid the CD in, turned off shuffle and skipped to Track 8- Radio Gaga.

The music filled the room as Bucky made his way back to the table, a smile still on his face. He picked up the record to look at the cover again.

He slowly tuned the others out as the lyrics started... the smile grew even more as the song progressed. Bucky may have just became a fan of Queen.


	4. Chapter 4

“King... Do you think the package was too much?” (Y/N)’s hand trailed lazy down her dogs back, “I could’ve just given some recommendations... Instead I had to get excited and send off a fricken record! I mean who does that!” King rolled his head to the side, not in acknowledgment, but instead to ask for scratchies, “You are not being any help, you know that?”

With a heavy sigh, (Y/N) slumped back on her couch. This was a problem she had, second guessing almost every action she takes. It annoyed her teachers when she was younger, the stress it caused started her anxiety attacks and soon she was put in those programs and therapy sessions to try and sort out her mind. What didn’t help was that she had always been chronically shy, ever since she was a kid, so opening up about her feelings, her mind, just wasn’t something she could do.

But, with James, why was it so easy to talk to him? Well, technically they wrote to each other. Maybe that was why? What would they do when they ever meet each other?

(Y/N) sat up suddenly at that thought. _Do I want to meet him?_

It wouldn’t be the worst to meet, would it? All she had to do was write to him and ask if they could meet, somewhere easy that she was comfortable. But also not somewhere common with her routine, in case he turned out to be a creep. Though there was this small voice in her head that said she didn’t need to worry. That was new, the voice normally said otherwise.

“Great, now I’m the type of crazy with voices in my head.” She flopped back against her couch, her head rolled to look at her friend, who was licking at his paw, “Do you think I’m crazy?”

A sudden knock on the door sent King into a barking fit, it was mail day, but normally the post man just delivered her mail then left. He hardly ever knocked.

Getting up, (Y/N) made her way to the door to check if it was indeed the mail man. The peep hole showed the familiar blue outfit, but he was holding a long tube and a rectangular box.

Opening the door, after prepping herself for human interaction, (Y/N) glanced curiously at the object as she was handed them, “Sign, please?”

She signed, quietly thanked the man, closed the door and just stood there. (Y/N) only ever got packages from her parents when they were out of the country, but they weren’t traveling at the moment.

“Unless they are and I wasn’t paying enough attention?”

She flipped the rectangular box, an envelope was taped to the side, “King! King! James sent me a package too! I’m not crazy, I didn’t freak him out!”

(Y/N) didn’t even go back to sit on the couch, she plopped down in front of her door and proceeded to open the long tube first. It looked empty at a glance, but the light caught on to glossy colour and she carefully pulled out the long, rolled up paper.

It unravelled and soon she stared at a giant eyeball, down in the bottom left corner were four people all staring in shock at the eye, in giant block letters was the title _It Came from Outer Space._

“James... got me the poster?” Her eyes zipped around the paper she held, taking in the old style of the clothes the people wore to the big ‘in 3-Dimension’ written across the top.

A warm feeling bloomed in her chest, she only mention this movie once, only it’s title, didn’t go into detail or talk about the plot. She only mentioned the title. Yet, James remembered, or he at least kept all the letters she sent. (Y/N) knew this was a thank you for the record and CD, but it still didn’t stop the giant smile from growing, didn’t stop the giddy disbelieving laugh that escaped her.

Suddenly she remembered the other box, carefully rolling the poster up. (Y/N) picked the box up, removed the envelope taped to the side, unwrapped the paper and lifted the tabs from the cardboard. Her brow furrowed in confusion at the slightly round object that she could see. Tilting the box into her hand, a long solid weight settled in her palm.

At that point King came in, she lifted the object to him and held it out, “Here you go, boy. James, got this for you.”

King happily snapped his jaw around his new treat, the bone being the perfect size for him. The small warmth that was growing earlier just bloomed into a flame in her chest. James had just made King’s day with his gift, he made (Y/N)’s day with the poster, now she was certain.

“I really want to meet this man.”

She turned to grab the letter and couldn’t keep the smile off of her face even if she tried. However, she didn’t have to. Her smile slowly fell as she read his letter, the sting of tears surprised her but thinking about it, she understood why she felt her heart hurt.

_Hey Doll,_

_Thank you so much for your gift, when I opened it I couldn’t believe someone would be nice enough to send something that thoughtful. My team insisted that we listen to the CD as we went through our mail. I can easily say that Queen just gained a few new fans. Turns out I wasn’t the only one who never really heard their music._

_Now, I’m sorry to say that I’ve finally been cleared to travel; the news came just as I was going to start this letter. I thought, at first, that the news would make me happy. I’d finally get to go around the world with my friends and help people, to make sure they’re safe. But after the last two months of writing to you, I don’t know what I’m feeling about this news, but it’s not really happiness._

_There’s gonna be some times when I’ll be out of the country for a while, longest one of my friends were gone was two months. There’ll be times when I won’t be sure when... or if, I’ll be back._

_I’m really sorry, (Y/N) If you don’t want to keep writing to me, I understand but... I’d really like to have something nice to read whenever I do get home._

_I’m also sorry that this letter is attached to a gift that I’m sure would make you happy. I’m sorry if reading this killed your happiness if you opened the packages first._

_Sincerely, hopefully, your pen-pal_

_James._


	5. Chapter 5

(Y/N) was doing inventory in her little record store. Currently she was in the “B” section for CD’s. But today, counting out what her store had was just not possible. She sent out her reply to James almost three weeks ago and hadn’t gotten a reply in return. Her mind was racing in doubt and ‘what ifs’.

_What if he decided to cut off contact with the letters himself? What if he read my letter but doesn’t want anything to do with me now?_ The most reasonable ‘what if’ was something (Y/N) wasn’t sure was better. _What if he already started traveling?_

(Y/N) had spent some time wondering what exactly James did; during his past letters he mentioned having worked in security but anytime she tried to press for a bit more, like what security company he worked for, her questions would be ignored. Once she joked that he was secretly moonlighting as an Avenger, helping them out at night but protecting their home during the day. He didn’t acknowledge that either.

As their exchange went on it became obvious he wouldn’t talk, she let it slide and proceeded to have an interesting talk about the characters from Rocky Horror Picture Show.

But, (Y/N) still couldn’t help but wonder.

With a huff she slid the Beyonce CDs back, “’Bet he is working with the Avengers, it’s just to ‘hush hush’ to talk about.”

Besides with the level of security that they have, they probably have a team to go through the mail just in case there was something dangerous that came in. So undoubtedly her first letter would have been tossed because there wasn’t any actual recipient in mind.

Why was he so secretive? Why did she care? (Y/N) never took interest in others; she had her own problems as is. Yet James kept surprising her with these knew feelings. _I want to meet this man._

She was mid sigh when the little bell over her door indicated that she had a customer.

“Um, hello?”

(Y/N) stepped out from one of the taller CD racks. Her shop was set up so the records were the first thing customers see when they walk in, followed by her wire racks of CDs and finally the counter and register. Behind that was the door to the back room and lining the walls were various radios and record players, a few walkmans and old MP3 players were in a glass display in the counter too.

With a deep breath she answered, “H-hello...”

She glanced up from the shelf and felt her eyes widen.

_What the hell is Captain America doing here?!_

“Hi, I- uh- I sometimes go for a run in the park a little down the road; I pass by here sometimes and thought I’d check it out.” He glanced around nervously and wiped his hands along his shorts when all (Y/N) did was stare, “I’m Steve Rogers, by the way.”

(Y/N) nodded and walked back behind the counter and slowly sunk to the ground, she can’t even talk to the pizza place on the phone, how the hell was she going to survive Captain America!

With a deep breath and a quick count to thirty... make that fifty, she stood back up and offered a nervous smile, “H-h-hi. H-how can I-I help?”

His smile seemed kinder, even understanding, “Well, a friend of mine just recently heard some good news. I was going to surprise him when he got back. Thought I’d get him a record or some CDs, he’s taken to Queen recently. So maybe something of theirs?”

With a more enthusiastic nod, (Y/N) guided Mr. Captain, as she referred to him in her head, Steve was too personal and she didn’t think she could keep a straight face when calling him Mr. Rogers.

They found their way to the ‘Q’ section of the CDs, “They’re alphabetised.” She silently made her way to the records, “So are these,” gesturing to the wall behind them she added, “These are the collectable records.” She took a deep breath and fiddled her thumbs, all too soon the silence had her palms sweating, “Call if you need help.”

With one last nod (Y/N) practically sprinted to the back room and gasped a few breaths, all while mentally patting herself on the back for actually talking more than five words to an American Icon.

Some quiet knocking brought her back to the front a couple moments later.

“Your shop is really well organised.” Is what he greeted her with, “I managed to find a few things for myself, um, and one of the records I was looking to get is off of the collectables shelf?”

(Y/N) blinked, furrowed her brow, and then glanced over his shoulder, “Oh.” Collectables were locked in glass cases, “Which one?”

“Queen...” Steve trailed off as he watched the woman pull on a pair of rubber gloves and grab her keys, “What are you doing?”

“It’s a collectable.” was her only answer, as she carefully pulled the record out of the glass case.

His eyes followed her back to the desk and a small smirk started to grow as he watched her pull out parchment paper, perfectly sized for a record sleeve, “You don’t really have to do that.”

She glanced up at him, though her head was still tilted towards the counter, “Captain, this was their first album ever recorded. Its worth can be more than $10,000; I’m selling it for a third of that.”

(Y/N) smiled slightly at how fast his eyebrows shot up, “Wow. I keep forgetting that records are _way_ more expensive now.”

She hunched her shoulders slightly, “Um... Do- do you want me to put it back?”

Steve was already shaking his head, “No, no. I’m fine with buying it.”

With a slight shake to her hands, she finished placing the parchment over the album. It then received another layer of parchment on top and finally was put into its own box, “There.” She proceeded to pull another box out and placed more parchment down but slowly stacked his other records into it, “These are worth quite a bit too, but aren’t really collectors.”

“Thank you, so how much for everything?”

With the price sorted and the albums paid for, (Y/N) watched as Mr. Captain left. It was only when she went back to going over the inventory, making it down to ‘G’, that she realised something.

“I could’ve asked if he works with a James!”

* * *

Steve had just set down the records onto the kitchen island when the elevator opened, revealing the team that had been sent out. He waited as they slowly made their way through, some opting to go and lounge on the couches, others moved around him in the kitchen.

Bucky was the last to leave the elevator. Exhaustion weighting down his shoulders.

He was jittery the night before he left a week ago, the nerves of the mission having kept him up most of the night as well as his thoughts replaying ‘what if’ scenarios through his mind. When he eventually calmed himself, he tried to sleep and not even five minutes later did his mind bring up (Y/N) and her letters. That was a whole different can of worms he didn’t want to go through.

The mission itself didn't give him much time to rest either, he couldn't wait to collapse into bed and hopefully catch a few hours of sleep. But Steve had texted him saying he had a surprise and to meet him in the kitchen.

With a sigh, he glanced around the room and caught Steve’s eye from the kitchen. His friend offered him a smile which Bucky returned, albeit a small one. He made his way over, only to stop and look at the boxes on the counter. They had a shop logo on them; a record tilted on an angle with the words ‘Play it Again’ written across the bottom.

Bucky’s eyes grew wide at the name, there was no way... He looked up at Steve, “Stevie... Where’d you get these?”

His friend blinked in surprised confusion, “There’s a small record store, near that park I run through sometimes. Never went in before, thought I’d check it out.” Steve smiled before gesturing to the boxes, “Thought I’d get you something to say congratulations.”

Bucky opened the first box and rifled through the different records Steve bought, some he pointed out as some he bought for himself, and started explaining how he forgot that the prices had obviously changed since the 40s, his voice carrying a sad wistful note to it.

He shook his head slightly before pointing to the second box, “This one! This one, is the one that’s special. Guess how much it can go for?" He waited for Bucky to look back at him before giving the answer, “Almost $10,000” Bucky’s eyebrows shot up and Steve laughed, “That was my reaction.”

“Who...” Bucky licked his lips in anticipation, “Do you know who helped you find all this?”

His friend shook his head, “Didn’t catch her name, she was really shy though.”

Bucky nodded, still not sure if it was (Y/N) or not; she never mentioned having any co-workers or employees but that didn't really mean much. He opened that second box and slowly lifted the parchment. Sitting in the box, covered in a protective sleeve, was another Queen album.

“She said this was the first record that they ever recorded.”

Bucky smiled up at Steve in thanks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I actually fact checked the prices for the first few Queen albums, the website I found was a betting site and that's how much their complete albums cost (Their singles went for, like, $7.500,00)  
> Also, I just like the name 'Play it Again' for a record store... don't know if one exists...


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to state that I, personally, do not have anxiety or anxiety attacks. If what I've written, in regards to Bucky or the reader, makes anyone upset, leave a comment and I will do the proper research to get the information correct.

_Hi Doll,_

_Sorry this letter is coming in so late. Work took me all the way over to Australia! Honestly, the country itself is very beautiful, but I can go without waking up to a spider the length of my middle finger, showing up on my nightstand, or a lizard looking at me from the ceiling while I shower. I’m exaggerating a little, I can’t remember the last time I was there and thought looking it up would help jog up my memory. The sunsets though are gorgeous there; I really wish you could’ve been there with me to watch them._

_The only down side to all the traveling is that it’s starting to bring up the more... unpleasant memories. Sam says it’s just my mind trying to keep me safe during my more vulnerable times, like when I’m sleeping._

_~~The nightmares have gotten a lot worse, there are nights were I’m too afraid to sleep,~~ _

__

Bucky groaned, crushed up his third attempt at writing to (Y/N) and tossed it to the tiny pile by his trash bin. Quietly in the background Freddie Mercury is singing ‘I’m Going Slightly Mad’ and Bucky had never related to a song more than in that moment.

He had been so happy to read (Y/N)’s response a few months ago; she didn’t want to stop writing either. She had gone as far as saying the Bucky was her second best friend, after King of course, but as the letters went on and Bucky’s missions came and went, it was obvious that the fighting was having a less than positive result with Bucky’s mental state.

The nightmares had come back full force, he was losing more and more sleep. He was so tired! During one of his letters he had unknowingly written in third person and repeatedly called himself ‘Bucky’, thank God he decided to reread it before sending it off. The writing in third person wasn’t bad, he could pass that off as Jetlag, it was calling himself Bucky, he just couldn’t do that yet... Why was it so hard to tell her who he actually is?!

Plus, (Y/N) had stated in her letters, she wants to get to know him more, she actually wants to meet him. Him! The Winter Fucking Soldier! Sure, she doesn’t know that he’s the Winter Soldier, but who’s to say that she won’t freak out once they do meet? Once she sees the metal arm and scars?

With another groan, he lets his head fall to his desk. The wood giving a dull thud from the impact.

Bucky isn’t sure how long he sits there; with how tired he is, he wouldn’t put it past him to have fallen asleep like that. But it was the heavy, persistent knocking that got him to open his eyes. It wasn’t enough for him to sit up though.

“C’mon, Buck!” Steve’s voice was slightly muffled, another mummer followed and his door unlocked and opened for him.

“Security breach.” Bucky muttered into his desk.

“Why are you sitting like that?”

“Because it’s comfortable... Why are you here?” Bucky will deny fully that he whined like a child when Steve grabbed his shoulder to lift him up.

“C’mon. Get ready; you made a promise to head out with me today.”

“But I hav’ta finish my letter!”

“Your letter isn’t going anywhere, you also promised to at least look for a potential shelter today.”

Oh, right. With the nightmares being as bad as they are, leading him to a high amount of sleep loss, Bucky’s anxiety has gone through the roof, the team had several instances where something as simple as asking for his preference for a pizza topping would trigger an anxiety attack. Steve had eventually brought up the old topic of getting a therapy dog, or just a regular dog that Bucky could have trained, _something_ to help him when his mind started to fall on a bad track.

At first Bucky had declined the idea. Sam had brought up other ways to help; from aromatherapy to painting, but Bucky needed something more physical to jolt him out of his mind. Aromatherapy could only go so far. So when his attacks started up again, he agreed to at least look.

With a sigh, Bucky stood up, “Can ya’ give me some time to change? I’ll meet’cha in the kitchen.”

“I’m giving you five minutes!” Steve called over his shoulder.

“I have to shower!”

“Ten!”

* * *

“See that small brown shop over there, with the sign with the bright blue letters? That’s the record store!”

Steve had started their outing with a run, but as the hours went on it was obvious that Bucky wasn’t really into it. The two had been walking the paths instead, moving out of the way of joggers, bikers and strollers. The park itself was pretty decent; trees littered the open grass, pavement paths cut through the greenery, there was an area set up with picnic benches and small tables. It was the perfect place for a quiet walk or a family gathering.

Bucky followed where his friend was pointing, it wasn’t that far from one of the parks entry ways. From where he was he could make out some of the signs posted on the window, the one that made a small smile appear on his face was the ‘Beware of Dog’ that he could make out on the door.

“Do you want to go check it out, while we’re out here?”

That made his smile fall, his shoulders tense and panic zip through his body. He really wanted (Y/N) to keep thinking that he was just ‘James’, just a regular soldier, now working security. Not a semi-stable assassin, with memory problems and a past so dark you wouldn’t even be able to see the better parts of it with a spotlight.

But there was always the small voice telling him it would be fine.

He just started to shake his head and take a step forward on the path when sirens started in the distance. The noise of, what Bucky could now tell were from Police cars, was getting closer, they were followed by the squeal of tires and some somewhat quieter shouts from passerby’s.

He and Steve duck in reflex when gun shots went off and the tire squeals got louder and more violent. They watched as a car swerved uncontrollably, two of its tires shot out. It swerved onto another road before finally losing all control and sliding directly into the very shop they were looking at. The front window caving from the impact and a scream could be heard from in the building followed by angry barking.

Bucky didn’t hesitate when he started to sprint towards the shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So on a lighter note, what dog breed should Bucky get... I can't decide, I know I want the dog to be a mix breed though.


	7. Chapter 7

King was lying on a spare blanket in the back room of the record store, happily munching on the last remains of the bone he was gifted. (Y/N) was sitting beside him, it was their lunch break and they deserved some rest from today’s work; the two enjoying the Rolling Stones song that was quietly playing over the shops speakers. (Y/N) was in a Mick Jaeger mood when she woke up today.

She had just stood up when the sound of approaching sirens was heard. King had perked up at the noise; he stood beside (Y/N) and followed her when they went back out to the shop to see what was going on.

She watched in stunned silence, as a car zipped onto the street her shop sat on, watched as it finally lost control, watched as it crashed and shattered her window and door. Her store’s alarms went off and she screamed in panic, sending King into a barking fit. Glass flew far into the shop and she quickly ducked behind the counter, pulling her dog against her chest.

Her whole body felt numb from the shock, she could vaguely feel hot tears roll down her cheeks, King was still barking but it sounded distant. (Y/N) automatically began to pet him to calm him down, she opened her mouth to call his name but the words were getting stuck in her throat. Her breathing became ragged and then turned into quick pants.

The sound of fast approaching footsteps cut through some of her panic, they crunched on the glass and a distinctly deep voice called out. The steps slowed but got closer and in her state of mind (Y/N) inched away, pulling her friend with her. She kept moving until her palm landed on a piece of glass and it sliced her skin.

A cry of shocked pain flew out of her mouth and the crunching picked up until, standing in front of her, was a tall man. A man wearing black shorts and a long black sweatshirt, his metal hand glinting from the store’s lights, his brown hair was escaping the elastic holding it back and when she looked at his face; her eyes got trapped in the blue of his own.

(Y/N) never knew the Winter Soldier was so beautiful.

With still panicked breaths, she watched as he slowly knelt in front of her. His mouth was moving... he had a very pretty mouth, but she couldn’t hear the words he was saying. She could hear King’s barking though.

Slowly, (Y/N) closed her eye and tried to control her breathing. Her eyes shot opened when King had stopped barking suddenly, turning her head she watched as the Winter Soldier pat him down the back slowly. He moved his flesh hand up and scratched her dog on the head his thumb massaging the bridge of his snout.

The Soldier turned his eyes to (Y/N) next; he moved his hand from King and extended it towards her, a silent request to help her stand. She took it and was starting to calm down at just the warmth his skin emitted. Her legs shook as she put weight on them and with a sniffle; (Y/N) launched herself into his chest and cried. She was always a bit more emotional after a panic attack, no matter how bad it was.

She was aware that she just made him uncomfortable with the sudden contact, was aware that a very dangerous, possible to explode car, was just sitting on the door step of her shop and was aware that her hand was bleeding and the two of them should really leave her store. But she needed this right now, damn it!

More sirens sounded from outside, Police cars, fire trucks and an ambulance were soon parked in the street, their emergency lights were casting red and blue all along her shelves and records. An EMT eventually came in and pulled the two out of her broken door, another came over and corralled them over to the ambulance. A crowd had formed around the vehicles, looking to see the damage.

All of it was overwhelming and loud and was sending (Y/N) back into a panic, without thinking she reached out for the closest person, vaguely feeling cool metal instead of warm skin. She wrapped herself around their arm and tried to hide from the moment.

Bucky looked down at her, wide eyed and tense. He slowly moved her over to sit in the back of the ambulance, King followed and hopped up to sit beside her, she removed herself from his arm and hugged the dog; burying her face in his neck. She was shaking again.

Bucky crouched down in front of her again and placed a hand on her knee, “Hey,” his voice was scratchy suddenly and he cleared it quickly, “Hey, Sweetheart.”

(Y/N) moved her head and met his eyes again.

Bucky felt his heart break at her glossy eyes and quivering lip, but he gave a kind smile anyway, “I know everything is overwhelming now, you probably didn’t think that any of this would happen today. That today would just be a nice quiet day in your shop with your dog. It’s completely okay to be feeling overwhelmed right now, the crowds probably aren’t helping are they?”

With a shake of her head, (Y/N) answered with a small, “No.”

She was given another small smile, “If it would make you more comfortable, I can ask the EMT’s if you can sit farther in the back, or if one of them can take you to the Hospital now? Just something to help you feel like you aren’t feeling so watched.”

(Y/N) took a moment to answer, she was still slightly caught on the fact that he said it was okay to feel overwhelmed, he wasn’t annoyed with her tears or her silence. With a sniff she answered in a whisper, “Can... Can you just stay with me? I-I’d like it... if you stayed...”

She watched his eyes widen and instantly thought the worse, she opened and closed her mouth to try and apologise but no sound came out. She started tensing up and felt the sting in her eyes increase when he silently stood, only for her own eyes to widen when he sat beside her in the small space that was left.

“I can stay, don’t worry, I‘ll stay.”

His arm snaked around her waist and she buried her face into his shoulder, his warmth and scent calming her still frayed nerves.

* * *

Eventually the chaos passed; the car was towed, the driver and his friend were arrested, (Y/N) and Mr. Winter were looked over, her cut wasn’t deep so no stitches required, she just had to make sure she cleaned it. So they were allowed to leave the care of the EMT’s, Mr. Captain showed up to check on his friend and (Y/N) left to talk to her insurance company to have someone come and asses the damages.

When the call ended, she turned back to look at the two superheroes to thank Mr. Winter again. Though now that her mind cleared and the crowds had dispersed, she felt her normal nerves and shyness creep up.

_Great, I was already weird with Mr. Captain, now the beautiful Mr. Winter too?_

The two soldiers turned to look at her as she slowly walked up, King right at her side, “I-I... um... THANK YOU!”

Mr. Winter smiled at her... he has a really pretty smile...

She blinked, “Um... What?”

With a small chuckle, he asked again, “Are you going to be alright?”

(Y/N) nodded quickly, “I...uh... already called my insurance company, they’ll have someone here... um... I’ll need to move all of my stuff though... That won’t be fun, I don’t have a lot of room in my house, so I guess I’ll have to rent a storage unit...” (Y/N) slowly got lost in the list in her head, leaving Steve and Bucky to just watch her mumble her plans, “Oh! Sorry!”

“I’m glad you’re already planning ahead, ma’am.” Steve offered a smile of his own, “Do you want help moving the more expensive records?”

She blinked at him before her cheeks reddened further, “I-I-I’ll be okay, I’m j... just gonna move... them to my house... for now.” She glanced down at her feet, no one said anything for a while and the silence was making her shake slightly, “I... should go, start that... yeah... Bye!”

(Y/N) turned on her heel and soon disappeared into her shop, her dog right behind her.

It wasn’t until a few hours later, as she packed away the last of the collectable records under ‘W’, that she realised something.

“I never got Mr. Winter’s name.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm gonna give Bucky his dog either in the next chapter or the one after. I'm just going to draw all of the suggestions out of a hat or something to help decide, so its completely random.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the gap in updates, I had to work out some stuff for residency for college. But, Thank you all for reading this! I love the feedback!

_Oh My God! James!_

_You will not believe the week I have had! So first, I had to fight King over a pair of my favourite jeans, I don’t what I did to deserve this spite but it was probably a big thing. Why my dog decided to make a habit of chewing on my clothes, I don’t know!_

_Then! My mom decides to randomly stop by and starts going through my store, off in her own little world... completely messing up my organised system! I don’t know if I’ve told you this but I like have all of my records, books, movies and the like alphabetized. My mom though... complete disregard to my well organised life. She then starts up on the stereotypical questioning. How’ve you been and how’s King? Which are okay to ask but then she pushes; have you met anybody new? A man, perhaps? Which is followed by, I know this boy..._

_In a way to get her to stop, I may have told her we’re dating. Yours was the first name to pop up in my head! But it also made her stop her interrogation, so thank you. But, if we ever do meet and my parents come around while we’re hanging out... well they’ll think we’re a couple. I won’t have any issues with that, but I don’t want you to be uncomfortable..._

_Well after my mom left, King and I were in the back room of my shop... You still have never seen it have you? Anyway, we were having lunch when we heard some sirens going._

_I stood up to go check and next thing I know the front window of my shop is being crashed into by a car that lost control during a police chase! Only in New York..._

_The shock of it sent me into a panic and King is barking, he was just as startled I guess, the two of us are crouched behind the counter and, have you ever gone into a shock so badly that your hearing isn’t working right? Like, everything sounds far away? Well that’s what happened to me, so distantly I hear someone call out and their footsteps, but in my state of mind I’m still out of it, so I scoot away only to place my hand on some glass and cry out from the pain._

_Now you are not going to believe who it was that came in to check on me!_

_It was the Winter Soldier!!! You know the Avenger? I never knew his eyes were so blue!_

Bucky’s heart was thrumming as he continued to read (Y/N)’s recount of that day. She never once mentions any fear towards him, never brought up his metal arm or his past, never insults him or criticises him. What made his chest feel light and warm was when (Y/N) wrote that she actually wanted to thank him. How, in her past, whenever panic hit her, people would leave her to calm down or they would get annoyed; calling her emotional, or even worse, pathetic. But she wanted to thank him because he stayed; he stayed with her and said that what she was feeling was okay. Nobody, not even her parents, ever told her that what she felt during an attack was okay. Her own _therapist,_ in a roundabout way, just told her to get over it.

Bucky’s thumb rubbed over a few letters and words that were slightly distorted, as if water fell on them, and he could just picture her; writing this letter and crying at this admission.

He felt a weird mixture of pride and anger. Pride because he was able to make (Y/N) feel cared for, that he could be there to help. Anger because it took so long for her to feel this way in the first place, (Y/N) _deserved_ to feel safe and protected, that her emotions were considered and protected, during such a vulnerable time. The fact that she has been dismissed in the past, just made his blood boil.

For Bucky, a therapist visit was mandatory in order to not only remain a part of the Avengers, but also to stay out of prison for his past, as was part of the agreement the UN came too. But even then, he still received the best care Stark could bring in. Hell, most of the team went to this therapist and were all better off because of it.

How did someone like (Y/N) get the short end for her emotional health, but Bucky, the Winter Soldier, an assassin, a murderer... got the best of the best? It wasn’t fair.

He shook his head to clear the thought and continued on.

_Unfortunately, there is always some bad news. Apparently, some of the insurance forms for ‘Play it again’ were never transferred under my name, remember I told you that I got the store from the previous owner; he was my old boss when I worked there in high school. Well, when he passed none of his kids wanted it and told their lawyer to give it to me, but some of the paperwork was misplaced. Meaning, I never owned the building._

_So instead of getting money to fix my shop: I’m stuck with a fine for running a business out of city property without a permit and for trespassing, I’m fined for destruction of property, I have to pay to fix it and I’m losing my only source of income and the one job that I loved more than anything! I don’t even have the money in my savings to cover the damages!_

_James, I don’t know what to do..._

_Sorry, this isn’t your problem. I’m sorry for writing this, I just needed to vent and I’ve already poured this out to King._

“Hey, ease up on the paper there, tin man! What it ever do to you?”

Bucky blinked and came back to himself. Looking down he saw the he had (Y/N)’s letter in a death grip, his metal fingers almost ripping through the paper. His mouth tightened and he carefully set the page down and tried to smooth out the wrinkles. His mind already getting lost in (Y/N)’s problem. How could he help?

“Bucky?”

He looked to Steve, his brow furrowed and mouth tight with worry, “Steve, I don’t know how to help.”

“Help with what?” Sam asked, he was sitting across from Bucky currently; having been gone on a mission for the last few weeks left him with more mail to open, so he took up the rest of the dining table.

Bucky handed him the letter, “The bottom.” his head already lost again in his worry. The rest of the Avengers were now watching, all curios as to what was so upsetting in (Y/N)’s recent letter.

Sam read and then re-read the part Bucky pointed out, “Why are they charging her for the damages too? That’s just bullshit! She didn’t purposely ram a car into her window!”

Bucky nodded wordlessly.

“What’s happened?” Natasha voiced the question on everyone’s mind.

“So, Winter’s pen-pal here, didn’t originally own her store, the one that was crashed into,” Sam paused to see if he needed to clarify anymore, but when Steve and Bucky had come back that day they had retold the events to the rest, so they all know what had happened to the record shop, “Well, she got it in the will of her old boss, but the family’s lawyer missed place some of the paper work, so she doesn’t technically own the store, the city does. Now she’s being fined for running a business without a permit, trespassing, destruction of property, she has to pay to fix it _and_ she’s losing the place, which was her only source of income.”

They were all silent, in various stages of shock. Their eyes kept trailing to Bucky, who was now clenching and unclenching his hands while glaring at the table in thought.

Tony clapped suddenly and got up bringing everyone’s attention to him, “Well, I’ll be back. Keep up with the mail, don’t wait for me.” with that he left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooo! What's Tony gonna do?  
> (It's very obvious what he's gonna do.)


	9. Chapter 9

Now, Tony wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting when he parked in front of the small house, maybe the stereotypical white fence, lace curtains and a small garden sitting amongst cookie cutter houses. What he saw instead was a large boxed hedge wrapping around the front lawn, what looked to be a huge willow tree was sitting in the center and the driveway held a large black jeep. The windows were blocked by dark blue curtains, made to keep any light out, and there wasn’t any garden only a small stone porch that held a porch swing. It was cozy, but very closed off and private, it almost felt cold and distant. No wonder Frosty liked this girl.

None the less, he walked up and knocked on the door. The dog barking was the second thing he wasn’t expecting. He blinked and took a step back, preparing himself in case it was the kind of dog that pounced at the possibility of a new ‘friend’.

The third was the woman who answered the door, for no other reason than when she realised who was there, when the light of recognition entered her eyes, she promptly let out a high squeak and then slammed the door shut.

He let out a small ‘huh’ and knocked again. From his side of the door he could hear what sounded like an argument, but with one person. Tony started to rock on the balls of his feet, with his hands in pockets, while he waited.

* * *

“Why am I suddenly meeting so many superheroes?” (Y/N) muttered, a second knock came after she closed the door, “Why did I slam the door in a superheroes face?! King, I’m panicking here!”

Her dog let out another string of barks before she calmed him down, and calms herself down, enough to open the door again. Standing there on her small door way was _the_ Tony Stark. The Iron Man! He was... not as tall in person, at least in comparison to Mr. Captain and Mr. Winter.

It took her a moment to realise she was staring, “Uh...” _Good job, (Y/N)! You managed to make a noise!_ She thought to herself.

“Hi,” he gestured to himself, “Tony.” he said as a way of greeting before gesturing behind her and inviting himself in. She had the Iron Man in her house! “I heard barking, where’s the little beast?”

“He’s not a beast!” _Well at least you can defend your friend._

“What breed are we talking? Shit-zu? Chihuahua?” his questions were answered when he entered the living room, because there, lying on a slightly shredded red quilt, was King, who was growling lowly in his chest at the intruder in his house, “Okay, a big dog.”

“A Rottweiler,” (Y/N) inched around him and sat beside her friend, trying to ease his nerves, “Um... Wha- what can I help you with?”

“Well,” Tony shuffled a bit over to the stack of boxes by the window and flicked through them, “I had just recently, do you happen to have any Gun N’ Roses? I happened to have just purchased a modestly sized building; that had just been a part of an unfortunate accident, involving the police and a car.” He paused to pull out a copy of The Zombies: Odyssey and Oracle, “Wow that is colourful. Why were the 60s so colourful? Anyway, I read up on the history of the building and it brought me here, you were acting as the owner?”

With a quivering lip, (Y/N) nodded. Already her store was lost, Mr. Stark had bought it and she won’t be able to have her job back at all now.

“Great!” Tony continued on, seemingly ignoring her distress, “Well, I’ll pay for the damages, I’ll cover those fines of yours. Honestly, that was a real dick move the city pulled. Now, I just need you to sign these.”

From his back pocket he pulled a pretty thick booklet of papers, the places she needed to sign were highlighted in advance. She took the book with shaking hands and began read through the front.

With a heavy gulp to try and dislodge the lump in her throat, (Y/N) quietly asked, “What... am I signing exactly?”

“Just some insurance forms and company papers, all Stark employees have to sign them.” Tony pulled another record out from another box, “Oh, Prince!”

Her brow creased in confusion, “But... I’m not... I don’t...” she couldn’t finish in her confusion; the whiplash of talking to Mr. Stark was starting hurt her head and her anxiety started to spike.

“You’re not an employee?” he guessed her question; he looked over his shoulder to see her quiet nod, “Well, I say you are. I like the name ‘Play it again’, so don’t change that. You’re going to be the manager still, so just keep running the place like you normally do. Just don’t worry about the insurance stuff for the building; I’ll be covering it from now on.”

“What?” (Y/N)’s eyes started to gloss over with tears in her disbelief.

“If you want to read through all of that before signing that’s fine, the front page is a summary, the pages after are more detailed... How much do you normally charge for records?”

(Y/N) swallowed down the lump of emotions again, “It... depends?”

He made a short humming sound before pulling out his wallet and handing her a couple of hundreds, “I’ll be buying this,” he held up a copy of Queen’s Hot Space, “Keep the change, I’ll stop buy the shop with the cleanup crew in... three days, meet me there with those forms and then you’ll have free reign with the redesign of the store.”

(Y/N) could only nod dumbly as he smiled, cautiously pat King on the head and made his way back out.

She sat there in shock, she could hear Mr. Stark’s car start up and drive off and soon it was silent. She slowly stood and moved to her kitchen, placing the papers down on her counter carefully. She pulled a glass out and poured herself some water, she took a shaky sip before that too was placed on the counter.

With suddenness of a punch to the stomach, the reality of what just happened hit her and she slipped to her knees.

Her face was in her hands and she was muffling happy sobs of relief, she still had her shop, she had her records, her life of quiet music and vintage record sleeve art. A watery laugh escaped and it caught the attention of King, who trotted over and nudged her with his nose. (Y/N) wrapped her arms around her friend and continued to bask in this wave of glee.

“We’re keeping the shop!” another happy sob breaks through, “We’re keeping it!”

With a deep inhale to try and calm herself, she turned to King properly and smiled, before it turned into a smile of confusion, “Why do the Avengers continuously buy Queen albums from me?”

* * *

Nobody knew where Stark had gone off to the other day, when he got back from his random departure he simply told everyone that he had it handled.

When he disappeared today, it wasn’t as sudden. But it did draw attention to the man when he showed up a few hours later with a satisfied grin.

Natasha noticed him first, “Now what has you smiling like the cat that got the crème?”

“Just sorting out some business,“ he stopped beside the armchair Bucky was sitting in, passing him a new record, “You’re girlfriend seems nice, a little quiet and her dog's intimidating. But still nice.”

Bucky stared at the sleeve art, his face becoming confused, “Tony, what did you do?” he was met with silence as Tony moved about in the kitchen, “Tony?”

“Don’t worry, Frosty. You’ll probably hear about it in your next letter.” With that he left for the elevator.

“Tony?!”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DOG UPDATE!  
> So, Bucky gets his dog in this chapter. In order to pick from the suggestions, I wrote them all out and drew from a hat.  
> The choice was entirely random, sorry if you're disappointed with the final decision.

“Alright, sir, if you just sign here... Perfect, we’ll bring out your new friend in just a second.” The employee gave Bucky a slightly tight smile, obviously recognising him and he had to fight to keep his face neutral, some people were more polite than others and this woman was polite enough to at least try and be kind. Though, it probably helped that Steve was there with him.

“I’m happy for you, Buck. You deserve this.” Steve cut through his self deprecating thoughts and Bucky returned the smile he got with a timid one of his own.

The two had set off the day after the car crash at ‘Play it again’ and found a few dog shelters in the area. The first one refused to do business with them because of their life styles; they worried for the dog’s safety living with the Avengers, though Bucky felt like it was more of a personal thing against him. The second one was better, though they mostly had cats and small dogs. He felt bad admitting that he was looking for a bigger dog, the guilt settled with him as he turned his back on the animals looking for a home, just because he was being picky.

They had settled for lunch after, during which Steve tried to reason that the employees understand and that someone else will adopt the smaller animals, that Bucky was out looking for a friend that will make him happy, if a bigger dog made him happy than that was that.

In the third shelter, Bucky had a good feeling settle in his chest. The building had a very large, fenced off yard with several toys lying in the grass. The loud sound of barking was heard before they even opened the front door, and many of the barks sounded deep. Big dogs.

“I’ve got a good feeling about this place.” Steve sighed before opening the door.

Now a little over a week later, after several sessions with the puppy that caught Bucky’s heart, he was able to take home the Newfoundland/ Labrador mix. At first Bucky thought the furry friend was a fairly decent sized, full grown dog until the employee explained her breed. The puppy was already close to reaching his knee and was going to keep growing!

He had timidly asked to see the dog and had soon been covered in wet kisses as the excited puppy jumped into his lap. For the first time in a while Bucky was genuinely laughing. He managed to settle the pup while Steve asked more question about the breed. He barely paid attention as he stared at the fluffy ball that was watching him, his fingers ran through slightly course black fur and his smile softened as the dog closed her eyes in content. He had interrupted their conversation when he asked for the puppy’s name.

He’s brought out of his reminiscing at the sound of pattering nails on a wood floor, an excited bark followed and Bucky was already kneeling down to say hi to Queen. Hearing her name for the first time brought a shocked laugh out of him; he had rolled his eyes and smile at the coincidence as he pressed his forehead down onto the pup’s, receiving a lick in return. Apparently, the shelter had found her in Queens; the poor thing was malnourished and seemed to have been abandoned in a rundown house that was scheduled for demolishing, when they finally brought her in and up to proper health the name had stuck.

Now, Queen was standing on her hind legs, her front paws balancing on Bucky’s knees and she was showing exactly how happy she was at seeing him again. He had to move his head back a bit from her hello kisses, laughing all the while.

* * *

The next few days were filled with random bouts of happiness and excitement for (Y/N). She was fairly certain, that at some points, King was just absolutely done with her. He was forced to part take in random hugs and would startle when (Y/N) would spontaneously squeal in delight as she thought on her luck.

She had carefully read through the booklet Tony had given her and happily signed each page. She was now the first manager and employee in Tony Stark’s first record store. Why he bought the store, she’ll probably never know, but she wasn’t going to look this gift horse in the mouth!

(Y/N) happily coaxed King up into her jeep, the back of which she took the seat out and filled with blankets just so he could be more comfortable when she drove, she climbed in herself and started up the engine. Today was the day she would hand in her papers, she would get to properly thank Mr. Stark and meet the people who’ll help fix up one of the best things in her life and (Y/N) will be able to smile through all of it!

-

The one down side to her store was always the parking... there wasn’t any. It was one of those stores with a decent amount of sidewalk, but was located on a fairly busy road so cars couldn’t park in front. When she had deliveries made, they would park in the decently wide alley on the left, but she couldn’t park there because it was an emergency exit.

So, (Y/N) had rented a spot in the parking garage a block away; she would park her jeep, leash up King, and get some of her daily exercise as she walked to work.

When she got there, there was already a big improvement from the mess it had been when she came with her insurance agent. All of the glass was gone, her door too. The old plywood bins that held the records were now sitting in the back of a huge truck along with her counter and some of the lights. The inside of the store was now scattered ceiling tiles, a dusty floor, empty walls and wires hanging from the ceiling.

“When Mr. Stark had said redesign, he really meant redesign, didn’t he King?”

“Of course I did!”

(Y/N) jumped at the sudden voice and briefly glanced down at her dog in a moment of crazy, as if he was the one that spoke. Turning around, she saw Mr. Stark and a... teenager? standing behind her. The confusion of the random teen only lasts a second before (Y/N) is squeaking in the equivalent of a greeting, complete with a tiny wave of her hand before she clasps then in front of her. She doubts she’ll ever be able to give this man a proper hello.

“The beast doesn’t seem to like me.” Tony remarks, and if she didn’t know better it almost looked like he was backed behind the kid slightly.

True to his word, King was growling low in his throat, “You spooked us, he doesn’t like that.”

“Noted, so how do you like the work done so far? I came by yesterday and noticed how some of it, if not all, was pretty out of date. So the shops going for a complete redo.” Tony walked as far forward as he was willing to go with the Rottweiler being so close.

(Y/N) couldn’t suppress her snort as she watched him, “Do you not like dogs, or are you afraid of just the big ones?”

Mr. Stark glanced at her over the top of his sunglasses, almost saying ‘really’ with just the look, “I’m not afraid. Just... nervous.”

“King can tell you’re nervous, and it’ll make him nervous, which will make him growl more.” Who knew that the only thing to get (Y/N) to speak more than five words at a time was to get her talking about her best friend?

The teenager finally looked up and startled, “Oh! Hi, I’m Peter.” he looked down at King and offered him a happy wave, “Hi, Doggo.”

She offered a small smile, back to being shy it seems, “H-hi, ‘m (Y/N), this is King”

"Is that his only name, I know some people like giving their dogs long names, but only call them a shortened version." She watched as Peter knelt down to rub at King's ears.

She took a breath, some people sometimes judge her for her choice of name, "King... Presley."

"You mean like that really old singer?"

"Yeah... but he wasn't old."

A sudden clap brought the focus back to Tony, “Have you got the paper work filled out?” he made grabby hands and immediately started flipping through the book as soon as she handed it to him, “Well, all looks good. Congratulations, you are now a Stark employee! Now, let’s introduce you to the crew that you can boss around to your hearts content.”

* * *

The elevator ride up was quiet, Friday had let Stark know that Cap and Frosty had already returned from their dog search. Peter was bouncing slightly on his feet. At least someone was excited.

Tony had some reluctance with the idea of a dog on base, but knew that having one here for Barnes would probably do the man a lot of good. He had caved to Steve and Sam’s pestering months ago and was told that Bucky was finally going to go and try to find a new friend.

When he left to meet up with (Y/N) he was aware that Steve was taking Frosty out on their search and was only slightly crossing his fingers that they wouldn’t find one that Bucky would like.

Now, he didn’t hate dogs, he just didn’t like that they could be messy and noisy, they can shed and, though he would never say it, big dogs intimidated him. All of the rich and famous ‘friends’ of his, all had small lap dogs or highly trained dogs that sat still beside their master and he could deal with that. Not furry balls of destruction.

So when he finally got home to laughter and energetic barking, he had to bite back the small groan of dismay. Tony walked out to the common room to see a decent sized dog, not too big but not small, rolling on the floor with Barnes beside it rubbing its tummy. The team was sitting around talking and laughing at the typically moody, broody soldier.

Peter stepped out from behind him and be lined for the pooch, “Hey, Mr. Barnes! I didn’t know you were getting a dog.”

Stark could feel a moment of dread suddenly, a feeling that was definitely called for when Bucky answered, “She’s not a dog yet, just a puppy. She’ll be a lot bigger than this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'm pushing Queen too much into this fic. I'm going to tone it down a bit.  
> I just really liked it as a name for Bucky's dog, for multiple reasons.  
> Reader likes Queen, Bucky likes Queen, I like Queen... and Reader's Rottweiler is named King!! It just works! King and Queen!  
> .... When Bucky and reader finally meet... I can have them get another puppy and name it Prince...


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought that I should clarify the timeline so far. Since their letters, in this world, take a week to deliver so there's a significant amount of time that passes.  
> So, I wanna say in March- Reader and Bucky send their first letters  
> Two months later in April- Bucky receives his first package, sends the poster and receives the news that he can go on missions/travel  
> Reader and Bucky continue to write to each other for three more months- it's now July, I want it to be the end of July, so it is.  
> In mid-August, Play It Again gets hit by a car.  
> About two weeks later Bucky get Queen. It's now just at the beginning of September.  
> This chapter takes place at the end of September.  
> I never mention what time of the year it is until now so I thought this brief summary would help.

_Hey Doll,_

_I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve written to you._

_I’m glad everything worked out so well for you and your shop in the end, didn’t know Tony Stark would do that. What are your plans for the renovations? I’m thinking you should get a giant wall mural of King; that will attract customers._

_My nightmares have been going down in intensity recently, the reason being... I finally have a dog of my own! Her name is Queen, I_ know _the irony of it, but she was found in Queens and the shelter decided to call her that. She’s a Newfoundland/ Lab mix and is the happiest, friendliest creature I’ve met in my life. She’s just a puppy at the moment but is already a pretty big dog; my friend Tony seemed pretty upset when I explained she’ll only be getting bigger._

_Another friend, Nat, had brought up pictures of NewfoundLabs, that’s what my team had decided to shorten the breeds name too, and Tony had nearly cried when one picture showed a fully grown dog the size of a black bear. Never knew he was scared of big dogs considering our job description. There was a bit of an argument when Tony tried to kick me and Queen out, after that._

(Y/N) paused in her reading. After every letter James sent, her thoughts about his job started drifting through her mind; he would mention his team and they all weirdly had similar names to those of the Avengers, she started noticing it more after meeting a few of them. Does this mean she was right and he does moonlight as an Avenger? Is there an Avenger named James? She knew she could easily Google search a list of known Avengers; with Tony Stark as part of the team, it wouldn’t be hard to find him talking to the press about the Avengers after a recent fight. But if James didn’t want her to know he works for them, or if he isn’t allowed, then she shouldn’t break his trust by invading his privacy like that.

“Maybe, that’s why he doesn’t want to meet?” with a dejected sigh, (Y/N) continued reading.

_Bringing her to the vet was a lot easier than I thought; she was such a good girl. There were no health issues and the vet had explained possible health problems in the future but Queen is as good as can be. She loved the pet store after. Getting her all of the necessities was easy but finding her only a few toys was harder, she seemed to want everything we came across!_

_Before getting her, if I ever felt like shopping, I would just order it. But, I feel like keeping Queen inside too long would upset her, so I can’t help but bring her along whenever I leave home. I just... can’t take her when I travel; I don’t want to put that kind of stress on her. But there’s at least one person always here to take her for walks and keep her company; Queen’s slowly becoming more of a family dog than my dog, but I don’t think she minds being spoiled._

_Now I understand why you keep any talk about King so short in your letters, once you start writing it’s very hard to stop. I just love her so much already. The only down side is that she’s taken to teething and chewing on my jacket... Doesn’t King do that with your clothes too?_

_Sincerely, a fellow dog owner,_

_James_

A second piece of paper was in the envelope; she had almost missed it if it weren’t for the subtle shine of the photo paper. Pulling out the picture, (Y/N) gasped at what she saw.

The man in the picture had most of his face covered by his long brown hair, but (Y/N) could still make out the wide smile he was wearing. His sweater hid most of his bulk, but it was clear he wasn’t small by any means. But that wasn’t why (Y/N) was smiling so softly at the image; sitting in the man’s lap was a black and brown, fluffy puppy, whose front paws were balancing it up onto his chest and his arm wrapped around its middle to steady it.

“This... this is James... and Queen?” the warmth that pulsed in her chest every time she read one of his letters seemed to grow in size, her heart felt fuzzy and a small blush grew on her cheeks, “They’re so cute...”

(Y/N) sat and stared at the picture for what felt like hours, taking in every detail of what she could see of James’s face, it looked so vaguely familiar, then she spent forever taking in Queen. A small strip of silver at the bottom of the image caught her attention; she brought the paper closer and frowned. It seemed that the silver was peeking out from James’s sleeve before the colour got lost in dark fur, maybe a watch? A brief flash of a memory popped into her mind; of a tall man with a metal arm and the brightest blue eyes.

Barking broke her out of her thoughts before she could think on the possibilities any longer, “Right! It’s lunch time!” she stood up and a wave of dizziness washed over her, “Whoa... stood up to fast.” A slight cough followed, before (Y/N) went to feed her dog.

* * *

(Y/N) was being dragged behind King. The two were on their way to ‘Play it again’, but due to the chilling weather of Autumn coming in, she had been slower getting out of the warm comfort of her bed. On top of that, (Y/N) had just caught the flu. So, she was a stumbling, sniffling mess and King didn’t seem to care as he decided that now was the best time to run through a pile of leaves that were raked together on a small patch of grass.

The sudden momentum sent her flying forward with a curse and she fell, face first into the sidewalk, a coughing fit hit her as she sat up and it hurt her now aching ribs... today was not her day.

A voice called out to her and she looked up to see bright blues staring down at her. (Y/N) continued to stare and watched as his eyes grew more concerned before she realised she needed to talk, “King!” her friend’s head perked at the call and he came trotting over.

Mr. Winter decided to try to talk to her again, “Are you okay?”

With another sniffle, (Y/N) picked herself up and dusted her jeans, “Yeah, I’ve just been feeling under the weather, King’s love for the fall isn’t helping.” _Hey! I spoke a whole sentence to him without stuttering!_

“How’s the shop doing? Last I saw it there was a car in the window.”

(Y/N) laughed slightly before her joy was interrupted by more coughing of despair, “Com-*cough* come on... I’ll show you.” She took a few steadying breaths, and then a few steps, before her mind caught up, “I-I-I mean... If you’re not busy?”

Bucky frowned at her, she looked a little out of it and it seemed like she was desperately trying to hold herself up, “It looks like you should be at home, instead of out working, Doll.”

She hummed slightly at the pet name, “I like it when you call me Doll... My best friend calls me Doll too,” (Y/N) gasped slightly, “Do you know a James? I have a theory... that he works with you guys, but he won’t say.”

“Doll? You’re swaying on your feet right now; let’s get you home, ‘kay?” Mr. Winter moved to help steady her as well as turn her back to the parking garage. He took King’s leash and started to slowly walk her forward.

“But!” More coughing cut her off and she was soon leaning against Bucky’s side, “I have to work...” she managed to croak out.

Bucky laughed slightly at (Y/N)’s pout, “No, you have to rest.”

He managed to get her to point out her jeep and got the three of them all situated, (Y/N) was already half asleep by the time he had gotten into the driver’s seat. With a sigh, Bucky started up the jeep, sent a quick text to Steve to keep an eye on Queen, and drove off to the address he had memorized.

* * *

Her house was cute, if not closed off. It suited her really, and Bucky smiled as he imagined her sitting on the porch swing with King at her feet, or maybe the both lay under the willow tree as she read a book. He looked over at (Y/N) and smiled as she continued to sleep, he felt bad that he would need to wake her up so he could unlock her front door.

“(Y/N)?” he shook her shoulder slightly, “Doll, I need you to wake up.”

With a small moan, (Y/N) shifted in her sleep and opened her eyes slightly, “James?”

He smiled softly, the warmth in his chest blooming and making his body tingle slightly, “Yeah, sweetheart, it’s me. I need you to work with me so I can get you to bed. You need to rest.”

“M’okay...”

“Can I have your house key?”

(Y/N) shifted and dug through her side bag blindly, soon pulling out a pair off keys, her eyes were blurring the sight in front of her but she managed to find the right one and handed it to Bucky.

He got out, grabbed King and quickly made his way over to open the door. Her living room was styled to look like a comfy theatre; he paused to look at the poster that was framed over her couch. He moved King over to the couch and hoped that he would stay put while he grabbed his owner. He ran back to the car and carefully pulled (Y/N) out and carried her through the door, closing it with his foot, he turned around and realised one problem.

“Doll? Which room is your bedroom?”

Bucky’s heart stuttered then doubled its pace when all she did was nuzzle into his neck and fall back to sleep. Why did she trust him so much? She knew James, not Bucky, it didn’t make sense. He shook his head and made his way down the hall, opening the doors as he went before finding her bedroom.

(Y/N) had let out a sigh of content when her body hit her soft mattress, but she missed the warmth that had surrounded her a moment ago. She reached out for it and grab at something cool instead; she didn’t release it, instead she held on as tight as she could, “James?”

“Go to sleep, sweetheart.” Her grip relaxed and he moved back from her.

When he finally looked up his breath caught in his throat, which was now starting to feel tight with emotion, because sitting there on her nightstand, in a small blue frame... was him and Queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to take this time, to thank every one for the love! I love the feed back, I love the comments; whenever I get distracted by other fan fic I see a new comment and it gets me back on track, so thank you all. \\('u')/


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So sorry for the somewhat late update, I know I've been able to keep a semi-good schedule with this fic. But unfortunately, this week is going to be a bit tricky with updating, I'm going to be busy so I don't know when I'll be able to write this story.

Bucky’s mind was a jumble of great joy and panic as he left (Y/N)’s house.

Joy because she received one picture of him and she has it framed and placed on her night table; placed in such a way, that if she woke up facing it, she’ll be looking right at him every morning, if that though didn’t bring a blush to his cheeks and a warm smile to his face. But then the negative thoughts crashed in.

Panic, where did she get that picture of him? How did she get the picture? Who took it? Well, it was obviously one of his friends, was it Sam? No, he wouldn’t have been able to catch the shot so perfectly, Steve then? He would have tried to get Bucky to look at the camera. Was it one of the girls? That was a little more likely, but then how did it get here?

He could feel a head ache starting to form and it was just adding to his stress, Queen wasn’t nearby to help calm him and the last thing he needed was to have a panic attack in the middle of a random street.

A small whimper passed through the lump in his throat, he didn’t want to scare her off, if she found out who ‘James’ actually was then she would stop writing, she’ll stop caring.

_But didn’t she write how grateful she was when you helped her? She sought comfort from you._ His thoughts were clashing together and he hadn’t even left her driveway.

With a deep breath, Bucky blocked his panic and made for the long walk back to the park. Hopefully Queen didn’t give Steve to hard a time while he was gone.

* * *

When (Y/N) woke up the next day, she felt better. Her mind was still fuzzy and her nose still stuffed, but she wasn’t dizzy anymore, though she slowly sat up; just in case. A quick check around her room showed only King resting on his bed, nobody else, “Wow that was a weird dream…”

(Y/N) sat against her pillows, trying to recall as much of yesterday as she could. She had woken up, her throat scratchy and nose running, but brushed it off as allergies from the changing seasons. She got breakfast for her and King when a small sneeze startled their quiet morning, maybe the room was dusty? It wasn’t until she was driving to work that her temperature started to rise, her coughing had gotten rougher and a sneeze had launched ball of phlegm and mucus onto her pants. Gross.

Her mind was starting to get fuzzy at that point, she might have just drove back home so she could rest or she got out of her car to walk to her store.

But (Y/N) was sure that... _somebody_ was with her yesterday.

Even her dream was fuzzy, all she could remember was a dark shape, bright blue eyes, a deep soothing voice, and warmth; incredible comforting warmth. But what did the voice say? She could vaguely recall it saying ‘sweetheart’.

(Y/N) let out a loud yawn, decided it was just a fever dream and set off to find some medicine, maybe some toast too.

Her kitchen was just as it always was; pale shell pink walls, granite counter tops and pale oak cupboards. The only thing different was the glass of water, her Buckley’s tablets and a small note sitting on her small kitchen table.

King’s bark shocked (Y/N) out of her confusion and when she turned to look, he was just sitting by his food bowl, “Hold your horses, I’m busy trying to be confused at the moment.” Another bark was her answer. With a heavy and exaggerated sigh that led to a fit of coughing, (Y/N) fixed up their breakfast, took the medicine tablets, sat with her plate of toast and took a look at the note. A beat of warmth hit her chest at the familiar writing. The note was short but still sweet enough to bring a smile to her face.

_Hi (Y/N),_

_Sorry for digging through your kitchen, but I wanted to make sure you would have medicine and water ready after you woke up. I hope you get better soon._

It wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be. She knew James’s writing as well as her own by now and the way he worried that she would be mad for him trying to take care of her made a short giggle break through.

But how did James know she was sick? She just got hit with the worst of her flu yesterday; there was no way for him to know.

A wave of fear crashed through her; did he use her address to find her, was he the creep she guessed he was when their letters started? (Y/N) shook her head sharply, the action bringing a fresh wave of dizziness, to get rid of the panic. If James was like that, why would he wait this long to try something?

Her dream came back to mind; maybe it wasn’t a dream after all and James helped her home? But then how would he know what she looked like to help?

A small shiver ran down her spine, partially from the flu and partially from fear.

(Y/N) stood quickly, pushing through the wave of nausea; she checked the locks on her front door and slid the rarely used chain lock into place, she locked her front windows, her kitchen windows and moved to her bedroom.

With a locks set, she sat heavily onto her bed with a shaky sigh. (Y/N)’s gaze moved to the picture of James on her table, picking it up she brought it closer to her face. He was still so pretty, so happy. Could he really be following her, or was she over reacting?

(Y/N) let her eyes travel over the picture. She loved James’s long brown hair; it looked perfectly soft, her fingers itching to slip through it, to move the strands out of his face so she could see it better. To see the full power of the smile she could just make out, to have it directed at her and see his blue eyes sparkle... (Y/N)’s eyebrows furrowed then, she didn’t know if he had blue eyes, so why did that thought pop up? Her eyes slipped over his dark sweater; even under the bulky material it was obvious that he was a big man, muscular even. Her eyes locked onto the sliver of silver in the picture, it was buried in fur so there wasn’t too much to see, but it was there and she still couldn’t understand what it was and why it bothered her so much. She dug through her memory of anything that could resemble the silver on his wrist, any brand of watch or wristband didn’t seem to fit what she was looking at because the silver of his wrist wasn’t bulky, it almost seemed as if it were a part of his skin... or a part of his... arm...

She swore she heard an audible _click_ as the final piece fell into place.

The Winter Soldier. The Winter Soldier had run into ‘Play it Again’, had calmed her down enough to get her to stand, stayed with her through her panic and told her that it was okay to feel panicked in the first place, had let her hold his metal hand and snuggle into the weight of his metal arm. (Y/N) had then sung his praise to ‘James’ with his response seeming endless when asking if she was okay, but short when reacting to her words about the Soldier... as if he was uncomfortable talking about him.

When (Y/N) had asked ‘James’ for information about his work, he would find ways to brush her off or just ignored them. When she joked about working for the Avengers he didn’t even acknowledge it. She had guessed it was military or Government work but he never gave her a straight answer, as if he wasn’t allowed. Being a member of the Avengers certainly would count as something that shouldn’t be talked about outside of the team or acting Governments.

Yesterday, yesterday she dreamt of a man with dark clothes and bright blue eyes... the fuzz over her mind cleared enough for a fragment of yesterday to come back clearly.

_“James?”_

_He smiled softly, “Yeah, sweetheart, it’s me. I need you to work with me so I can get you to bed. You need to rest.”_

All the clues were slotting together; his time in the war, his lack of knowledge for a variety of well known media, his PTSD, his memory issues; (Y/N) had heard bits and pieces of the Winter Soldiers trial, had heard about how his memories were stolen and replaced with orders given by horrible people.

Everything made sense now.

She drew in a sharp breath; the picture in her hands slipped and almost fell to the floor in the sudden shock of her revelation, “Oh... my God.” another inhale, “I’ve been writing to the Winter Soldier.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *(sarcastic)GASP* Oh My God, didn't see that coming...  
> I got tired of making the reader seem incredibly oblivious and I wanted to move this along, so... bam!  
> Funny how she figured all this out while being sick, yet when I'm sick I'm so out of it I can barley pour a glass of water... No joke, once when I was sick I though my phone was dirty and instead of wetting a cloth and wiping it clean, I stuck my phone under the faucet, then I thought 'this doesn't seem right'


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is shorter than the rest, sorry. I'm also sorry for the late update, this week has been busy for me.  
> This chapter and the next are mostly going to be Bucky oriented, then the reader will be back in... but, who knows- maybe the next three chapters will be Bucky chapters?

Deep inhale and slow exhale, repeat. Muscles tensed up and then slowly relaxed. Bucky rolled his shoulders and did a quick mental check of everything on his person.

Knives; one on his boot, two sheathed on both of his legs and one strapped to his arm. Check.

Guns; two hand guns holstered on his waist and one on his lower back, a machine gun strapped across his shoulder blades, each fitted with silencers. Check.

All the ammunition needed was spread through the multiple pockets of his Kevlar pants. Check.

Steve came up behind him and broke him out of check list with a clap to his tense shoulders, “You ready?”

Another deep inhale, followed by a shaky exhale, “Explain again, why this one will take so long.”

Cap rolled his eyes, “Hydra has situated themselves in an old mining community. We're not sure what they're doing there, if it's weapons, Mutation or chemical based work. There’s no telling how deep into the mines this base goes, how many agents or if the base runs under the town. We need to carefully and slowly make our way through the tunnels and map it out as best as we can.” His stern expression gave way to a frown, “We can’t risk a regular ambush if this base does go as far as the town, can’t risk them setting off any explosives with innocent lives living above it all.”

“So… a month of crawling through old coal mines.”

Steve winced, “Tony is guessing that it might be even longer than that, the team will be trying to switch out members as this goes on. We just got dealt the short straws first; Natasha will eventually be joining us in the mines after she digs through the town’s records.” He shrugged before strapping his shield on his back, “If she finds a pre-recorded map then we can go from that and save some time.”

Bucky sighs deeply, no one on the team enjoyed month long mission; if it went even longer than that, everyone knew that the returning member(s) shouldn’t be bothered until they got some rest, Bruce especially. Though, it was rare that he would be sent out of the labs for any mission that lasted longer than a week.

The quinjet was now close to the mountain range and the engines were slowing for the decent. It was already far into the late hours of the night, the sun having gone down long ago. This was Bucky’s first month long mission since joining the Avengers, he was happy it was during the fall. The summer heat was too much with all of the thick layers he had to wear and the cold of winter irritated his shoulder and was just overall unpleasant; with mountains of snow and blistering winds.

His mind began to drift as the jet lowered; what does (Y/N) do during the fall? His lip quirked at the corners as he imagined her and King buried under a blanket on her couch; an old movie playing on her TV. She would be wearing a sweater that was large enough to be a dress on her- what drink would she like? Hot cider? Hot chocolate? Tea?- the mug would be steaming though, a soft smile would be on her face as the heat warmed her hands. Bucky started to lose himself in his fantasy as he saw himself walking through her door, Queen rushing a head to jump between (Y/N) and King, she would laugh at the happy pup and carefully set her mug down before giving his dog the attention she wanted. He, himself, would be taking off his shoes before moving to her kitchen to make himself something warm to drink then joining the three on the couch. The two would sit side by side while their dogs ended up moving to the floor, she would lean into his side- not caring that it was his left arm her head was on- Bucky would smile and draw her closer... as her head tilted up and he would meet her li-

“Bucky!”

He blinked, Bucky could feel his cheeks flaming as the scene in his mind melted away to show the cold metal of the jet. A stab of disappointment shot through his chest before he shook it off. (Y/N) was his friend, a friend he met twice and she didn’t even _know_ it, that fantasy would never happen. The disappointment shot through him again and he grimaced at the feeling.

“Bucky, what’s going on?” Right, Steve was here. He was on a mission with Steve, not sharing cocoa with (Y/N), he looked up at his friend and could see the worry written plain on his face, “You okay?”

He nodded but figured Steve would want a verbal response too, “Yeah. ‘M fine.” His brow creased at the gruffness in his voice, he swallowed heavily before clearing his throat, “I’m good.”

Bucky turned his attention back to his gear; he picked up the special contact lenses Tony and Bruce had made. He didn’t understand the tech behind it- he was actually a bit concerned about putting these in his eyes- the contacts were supposed to act like night vision goggles, they reacted to the light around him and changed accordingly. It was disorienting at first but very use full; Stark had even managed to find away to dim the bright glare that would appear when met with sudden light, like a lamp or flashlight.

He could feel Steve watching him, so he just rolled his shoulders again and waited for exit ramp to lower in a slightly uncomfortable silence. This was going to be a long month.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was short because I want to try a detailed chapter of Bucky on a mission and I wanted to start establishing that here, I felt that starting with the reader and then cutting to Bucky wouldn't feel right, nor would starting with Bucky then cutting to reader... because I have a plan for the reader that can wait for a chapter or two.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about the wait, I had two birthdays to deal with and just... everyday was a busy day! I'll try to have another chapter up by, at least, Friday.

The small opening into the mine that he and Steve found was already a bad sign for Bucky. He would either have to squeeze through or find a way to open the passage further; each option wasn’t ideal, the two were two wide to squeeze through without possibly getting stuck or injuring themselves and opening the entry any further could make unnecessary and loud sounds to echo through the tunnels. With a frown, he turned to Steve to see what he wanted to do; his friend was already looking around for a better option. There really wasn’t anything else.

With a silent, but heavy, sigh, Steve gave the order, “Let’s dig it out.”

Turning back to the wall, Bucky reached with his left hand, gripped onto the edge of the bricks and stone that blocked them, and pulled. Hard. A decent chunk fell easily like he had tore paper and he continued to pull down what blocked them.

Steve’s shoulder’s shook with silent laughter before silently whispering, “Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho. It’s off t-“

“Steve. Just... stop.”

The entrance was soon opened wide enough for the two to climb into it without worries, Bucky glanced at his fingers and sighed at the mud and coal dust that was already starting to build up; that is going to be a bitch to clean out of the plates later.

Looking off to the top of mountain’s that surrounded them, he saw the beginnings of the day’s sunrise, “Should we make one of those miner journals? Day one of thirty; I want out.”

Steve looked over his shoulder with a smirk before crawling through into the darkness; with one last look at the small sunrays beaming from over the mountains, Bucky followed.

* * *

The soldiers crawled along another of the many narrow passages. Stark had called in two hours ago to let them know that nothing was jamming the Marker’s signal, so it was able to trace their steps and send the map they walked to Friday. A call was supposed to come in every three hours, letting the ground team know if they were walking in circles or if they were reaching the town’s borders.

When they had gone over the details of this mission back at the compound Bucky had asked why Stark couldn’t just have one of his suits or a drone scan over the land. Apparently that’s how SHIELD found Hydra in the first place, but a disrupting signal being sent up from the mines prevented accurate scans from above, it scrambled camera’s and any digital maps of the area. Tony had already sent a suit to get a sample of the signal and managed to create what he called the ‘Marker’; each group sent down was given their own Marker and it was explained that as a team walked through the tunnels a line would appear on a map in the lab and stay there to help navigation. As if their steps were drawing out the path.

The two had yet to reach the edge of the town or even come close to finding their target. The air was thick with dust from the rocks, coal and the smell of muggy, rotten wood. They have had to retrace their steps twice already as they kept hitting dead ends.

Bucky had just briefly closed his tired eyes, trying to give them a second of rest, when his foot suddenly slips in soaked mud and he goes splashing into a large surface of stagnant water. His eyes shot open and his mouth gave a silent shout as he met with the large, brown puddle. The splash echoed through the caves as did the sound of his surfacing; his lungs burned as he tried to prevent himself from coughing up the mouldy water but it was too much- the taste and... texture of the sandy liquid was just disgusting. Loud hacking filled the space around them and Bucky could hear Steve’s quiet panicking behind him.

The water came to his midsection when he finally stood to his full height; the dirt swirled around him after being disturbed after who knows how long, the remnants of the noise he made finally faded and the two soldiers waited for any indication that they were heard. Bucky held his breath, he briefed a quick look down at himself but couldn’t really tell if he was just wet or if he was covered in mud; the night vision contacts didn’t show colour, everything was black and white.

He looked to Steve, he was still worried but amusement was also shining in his eyes. Bucky could feel the burn of embarrassment climb his neck and cheeks; sometimes he wondered how he had been such a skilled assassin in the past if now a day he could be as clumsy as Queen when she was too excited. Maybe it was because he was too tired?

With a sigh, Steve looked around before taking a measured look at the tunnel ahead, “Looks like we have to move forward.”

He sounded dejected and when Bucky followed his gaze he too felt like groaning, the water he was still standing in seemed to stretch out for a good few feet before disappearing in shadow. He pushed back the wet strands of his hair, his face scrunching slightly as his flesh hands met with mud... and a small stone.

“Is there a way for the Marker to let the others know about a water hazard?”

“I’ll let Stark know when the next call comes in.”

Bucky shifted on his feet, his socks were uncomfortably soaked and would no doubt make a squelching noise once he made it out of the lake he found himself in, his legs shifted and he grimaced at the thought of any chafing he would have to deal with after this mission. His grimace turned into an angry scowl when he reminded himself that he would possibly have to walk through this water again to get back out of the mines and then again to get through to where the last team leaves off later on.

He let his mind conjure thoughts of warm drinks, blankets, dogs and (Y/N) as he helped Steve keep his balance while he, too, stepped waist deep into murky water. He relished in the fact that he could at least stand up to his full height now, but soggy socks and underwear really didn’t make up for the comfort of having to no longer crouch.

The two sloshed through the water as quietly as they could, both of them had almost slipped on lose rocks and Steve’s foot had sunk a little too deep in the mud at the half way point. Their three hour checkpoint, call in told them that they had made decent progress; he and Steve had managed to get through most of the water, the other end of the deep puddle was just coming into view and they both, outwardly, sighed in relief.

When he climbed out, Bucky’s suspicions about his squelching socks are proven true and he desperately wants to take them off, “Have I ever told you that one of the fears I had during the war was Trench foot? It was a small fear, considering, but I didn’t really want to lose one of my feet.” His voice was a whisper, but still bounced off the walls slightly; Steve gave him a sympathetic smile and nodded in agreement.

Bucky had just clasped his hand when the light sound of distant footsteps hit his ears, they both paused and waited; Bucky looked over his shoulder, his left hand moving to the knife at his side.

Natasha walked into view from around a corner, her eyebrow raised in question as to why Bucky looked like a drowned rat and why Steve was still standing in water, “I didn’t know it was a pool party.”

With a huff, Bucky gripped Steve’s hand tighter and started to lift him out. Water fell in small rivers off of their clothes and gear; a new puddle was slowly forming between them at their feet.

Steve tried to ring some of it out of his pants but it was hard with Kevlar, “I am not looking forward to the chaffing,” he saw Bucky nod before turning to Natasha, “You find a map?”

“Yes, I sent a picture of it to Tony; Bruce talked me through to you guys, now we know that there’s a second entry point so we can avoid going for a swim.” Natasha smirked before heading down further into the caves.

Bucky shared a look with Steve before following. He really hated wet socks.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay.

Bucky stumbled into one of the hotel rooms the team had rented as if he were drunk. His eyes blinked to adjust to the slightly dim room before glancing around, his mind was too tired to really take in any of the decor; he just saw a bed, a really comfy looking bed.

He, Steve and Natasha had been down in the mines for three consecutive days; the map Natasha had found showed that the cave systems that were mapped out were already fairly large; SHIELD and Tony had no idea if Hydra expanded or if they were using pre-existing tunnels, so the search was definitely going to take more than a month. The three of them had to sit in the one of the small alcoves in a tunnel waiting for their replacements before making their way out; that was six hours ago.

Bucky shook his head and was incredibly tempted to fall onto the mattress in exhaustion; if it wasn’t for the fact that he was covered, from head to toe; in coal dust, mud, sweat and blood from the few Hydra goons they had found.

At least they knew they were in the right place.

His mind was buzzing; he needed rest, he needed Hydra to be stopped, but at the moment he desperately needed a shower.

His body was considerably lighter, but no less dirty, once he peeled his mud caked top off. Sparing a glance down to his arm he outwardly groaned at the sight; a mix of coal dust and dirt lined the metal plates, he shifted the limb and heard the grinding of sand as the plates shifted. A deep frown settled on his face and he rubbed at this tired eyes with his other fingers; an action he regretted as more dirt got into his eyes from his fingers.

With a hiss, Bucky squinted his eyes and moved quickly into the bathroom. The towels were, unfortunately, white and he gave a mental apology to the hotel as he wetted one to wash his face. The fabric came away brown, black and grey; he looked up at himself in the mirror.

All of his skin was covered in filth, save his eyes now that he’d washed them. They were red from exhaustion and water dripped down his cheeks, it reminded him of a reverse of running mascara; it cut through the grime and made the dark dust a slightly less dirty looking grey on his skin. Bucky gave the rest of his body a once over, all of him covered from head to foot in soot.

With a yawn he shucked off the rest of his clothes, started up the shower to as hot as he could take it and stepped under the blistering spray. The water ran grey down the drain, tiny pieces of mud fell from his hair and his skin turned pink from how hard he tried to scrub away the dirt. The heat relaxed his muscles, another yawn tore through him, and his body felt like it was buzzing slightly as exhaustion hit him even harder than before.

Bucky opened his eyes, when had he closed them? The water was considerably cooler than he remembered setting it. He slowly blinked and shut of the faucet, with slow and cautious movements he managed to towel himself off and move to the bedroom. From what he could see his duffle bag was set up on the farthest bed, his steps dragged on the carpets and it took his a few seconds before his brain reminded him how to open a duffle bag.

It had been some time since he felt this tired. His nightmares didn’t help but he at least got a few hours; right now, though, it was as if he had never closed his eyes before, had never let his mind shut down. It made sense as to why he felt like this, before this mission he hadn’t exactly gotten a full eight hours of sleep, he’d be lucky if he ever got four some nights.

He managed to drag his pyjamas out of his bag; nothing special just flannel pants, and slipped them on. He liked the feel of them, the fabric was soft on his legs and was comforting in the chill of the fall, they made him feel cozy.

When his head finally hit the pillow his eyes closed immediately; the bed wasn’t the softest in the world, it was actually quite lumpy and scratchy on his back, the pillow was thin and didn’t support his head the way his own did at the compound. But, damn, if it didn’t feel like he just collapsed onto a cloud.

Bucky felt his body slowly and surely relax, his shoulders dropping further into the mattress, his calves falling away from each other, his fingers uncurling from his palms. The plates from his arm were still grinding against grains of sand but even that sound didn’t distract him from the darkness of sleep.

\--

_Bucky opened his eyes and immediately closed them again as light shone through the leaves above him._

_He stayed as still as he could to try and figure out where he was at the moment; the air was crisp around him, it smelled... warm, but cool at the same time? The scent of leaves surrounded him and he let his right hand subtly explore the ground, a leaf crunched under his fingers._

_It was the sound of laughter and barking that had him opening his eyes again._

_Bucky sat up with a stretch, he was lying on a flannel quilt amongst fall leaves, in the middle of what could be a forest or orchard, he looked around for the sounds that woke him; beside him was a basket, he could see sandwiches and a bottle of some drink. To his right was an incredibly comfortable looking sweater and... leashes?_

_A ball hits his leg and he just stares at it, wondering why it’s there, when a shout catches his attention and he’s suddenly tackled back to the ground by a dark mass of fur._

_His laughter rang out as Queen attacked his face with kisses. She was getting bigger and becoming a comforting weight on his chest. Bucky startled slightly as a second dog showed up and started licking his face, but he was still smiling at the attention._

_A second voice laughed along with him and he managed to push the dogs away to sit up again to get a look at his companion._

_(Y/N) was walking up to, what Bucky guessed was, their picnic, she was wearing jeans that had gotten stained from the earth and one of Bucky’s flannel shirts._

_In his mind there was nothing wrong with this scene, nothing odd about waking up under a tree in the middle of a forest during the fall, as (Y/N) played with their pups._

_“You fell asleep on us!” she knelt down between his legs and ruffled the fur on Queen’s neck before King got jealous and nudged himself into her space._

_“Sorry, Doll. It’s just... really nice out, it’s relaxing.” Bucky reached out and joined in petting their friends._

_She hummed in reply before turning around and reclining back against his chest, her head rested on his shoulder and she twisted to she could still look up at him. King rested his head on one of Bucky’s thighs and Queen was walking a distance away to explore the grass around them._

_“Well,” (Y/N) reached an arm up and ran her nails through the scruff on his jaw; the action drew a hum from his throat; his eyes drooping in content, “it must be tiring, being an Avenger, saving the world? You don’t have to keep fighting, but you chose to help now... you chose to be a hero.”_

_He sighed, “I... don’t really know if I can do anything else.” His arms came up and wrapped around her waist and squeezed slightly._

_“I’m sure you can do lots, you just need the inspiration to look.” She turned to rest on her hip and wrapped an arm around his waist, “I’ll try to be here when you need help.”_

_Bucky smiled, tightened his hold on (Y/N)’s waist and closed his eyes._

_\--_

When they opened again it was nine in the morning and Bucky could feel a pressure of longing sitting on his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I know most fics that involve missions jump right into a fire fight or sneaking around and gaining info... but there are times when a mission takes time, scouting takes time... and I wanted to write that, wanted to show that sometimes a mission will drag on and the members will be exhausted before any action actually happens. The next chapter is going to have the reader... I don't know how long its going to be, I personally don't think its gonna be that long before we get back to Bucky.


	16. Chapter 16

(Y/N) spent an entire week making sure she was one hundred percent cured of her flu. A week of vitamins, chicken soup and foul tasting medicine; washed down with delicious tea mixed with honey.

She then spent a week restocking her newly modeled store, and after a week of not being able to go in to help direct the cleanup crew and designers (Y/N) had to admit they did an amazing job. The lights were no longer the blaring bright white they used to be, they were a calming yellow that didn’t give a person a headache the minute they walked in- (Y/N) knew people didn’t truly care about the lighting, but they didn’t have to deal with it all day like she did. Mr. Stark had really gone all out with the security for the store, the glass was top tier shatter proof and the door had a new lock that required a pin number as well as a new set of keys and a barcode sensor! Now she would at least know when someone took off with something, instead of finding out at the end of the month when doing inventory.

The walls were painted a cool grey that helped emphasise the framed images of various bands performing on stage, her favourite was a colourful dramatic shot of Elton John in all of his sparkly glory. There were new display cases lining the walls, just under the pictures, to hold the more valuable products she’ll display, also made from the super glass. The locks on them had changed, every two cases needed a different key to help keep people from somehow getting into them, which was great, but it now meant her key ring had doubled in weight and was more confusing than ever!

The shelves that held the records were now made from a dark oak and lined with red velvet; it was beautiful and helped prevent creasing and fading edges on the record sleeves. Under the shelves were small cupboards that held any extra copies of the records shown above, a feature (Y/N) loved! It helped save so much space in the back room. The CD racks were now made from the same dark oak; they were slightly wider than the shelves holding the records length wise, but were narrower too, they took up the last of the space before the counter, which was no longer made of painted wood but instead had a slab of smooth black granite on top of sleek stainless steel metal that framed more glass; the MP3s and walkmans were all displayed here, just like before.

When (Y/N) first walked onto the new polished wooden floors... she just couldn’t keep in her excitement; she jumped on the spot, excitedly clapping her hands, before checking every inch of her newly styled shop. One thing that caught her eye was the sticker on the lower left corner of the front window that read ‘Courtesy of Stark Industries.’

So, the last two weeks of September were spent healing and working. ‘Play it Again’ was fully stocked, (Y/N)’s nose was no longer stuffed and business had actually had a jump in sales.

The only thing that dampened her mood was the lack of letters from James- or Mr. Winter? Winter Soldier? (Y/N) didn’t actually know his real name and didn’t bother to look it up; if he didn’t want to tell it to her, it was probably for a good reason. Now, James had told her that, due to his job, that sometimes a reply from him may take longer, and she had accepted that in the past.

But now she _knew._ She knew who he was and needed to tell him, she hated keeping secrets. When she trusted someone then she wore her heart on her sleeve and when you experience something as big as finding out your Pen-pal was an Avenger! Well that wasn’t exactly a thing she could keep to herself. Hell, as soon as she realised who James was she called her parents and had them come over so she could explain everything. Her mom was a bit annoyed that she interrupted their packing for one of their new vacations, but it was obvious that (Y/N) was on the verge of a panic attack- with her emotions being too sensitive in her flu idled mind- so she did her best to calm her daughter down.

Her father’s solution to her problem was to just go talk to him in person. She had met him before, though unknowingly, and new where he lived from the address on the letters, so it should be easy to go and talk to him.

That brings her to now; she’s sitting in her jeep, King is lying in the back and she’s staring down the most intimidating building she’s ever seen; not because it’s evil, not because it’s tall- it’s actually looks like an overly modern Rec-Centre- no, it’s intimidating because it houses the world’s heroes and here she is, an overly shy average store owner, who happened to accidently write to one of said heroes.

(Y/N) bit her lip and whimpered at how pathetic she must look.

A sudden knock on her window made her jump and scream, she turned to see who it was and found a man wearing a suit; he had a large build and didn’t seem at all sorry for scaring her.

He didn’t try to seem polite when she eventually rolled down her window, “You’re on private property, if you don’t have the proper identification, a scheduled appointment or actually live here; then I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

(Y/N) opened and closed her mouth a few times before stuttering out her reply, “I-I-I…I, um,” she swallowed heavily before taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, the next sentence flew out of her mouth quickly and in one breath, “IhavebeenwritingtooneoftheAvengersandIfiguredoutwhoheis,he’stheWinterSoldierandIwannameethim.”

She watched the man at her window nod slightly, before pulling out a walkie-talkie, “I’m going to need another pair of hands out at the main gates; this woman somehow knows that Sergeant Barnes lives here.” He slipped the Talkie back on his belt before ripping her door open, “Out of the car.”

“W-w-wha-“

“Now.” He didn’t wait any longer; he reached over her body, unbuckled her and pulled her out of her jeep by her arm.

(Y/N)'s cry of shock had King barking from the back seat. She didn’t bother struggling; instead she tried to calm her dog down so they wouldn’t hurt him. A second man, dressed all in black, grabbed her other arm and helped the first one pull her to the building. A third passed by holding a syringe, she managed to twist around, only to see him grab onto King’s neck.

“No! No, please don’t hurt King! Please, please, please! I’m sorry, I’ll leave, just don’t hurt him!” now (Y/N) started to struggle, the men were too strong and tears openly fell as King’s whimpers met her ears, she sobbed out again, “Ple-e-ease!”

“Happy? What are you doing?” (Y/N) didn’t see who the new person was, she just watched as the third guy tried to hold King as he struggled back away from his hands, “Hey! You’re Ms. (Y/L/N)! What are you doing here?”

“Not now, Parker”

“Please, don’t hurt him! Stop! He doesn’t like strangers, please!” she turned her head to look at the fourth arrival to see the teen that was with Mr. Stark when the cleaning crew showed up at her store, “Please, help my dog!”

Peter watched as they pulled her through the door, the whimpering and barking pulled his attention to the jeep at the gates. He got to the car just as the Agent managed to crowd the dog against the other door. He opened it and let King jump out before webbing the man to the passenger seat, Peter had just managed to snag the dog’s leash before he ran off.

He turned on his comm- he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he had an Avenger communicator- and he asked Friday to connect to Tony, “Uh, hey Mr. Stark, I know you’re out on your mission… Yeah, no, there's nothing world ending happening… well- well, Mr. Stark, Happy… just arrested that girl from the record shop.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy... (shakes head in fond exasperation)  
> I know I said no dogs will be harmed and I lived to that, King was scared but not harmed- Peter will not allow that!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I decided to plan out how I wanted this story to go and that actually made it harder to write.

(Y/N) rubbed at her arms after the security guy, who she now knew was called ‘Happy’, shoved her into a chair. Her eyes were dry now and her cheeks itched the way they did after she’s cried; her nose is only slightly stuffy now, at least Happy was nice enough to give her some tissue. She glanced down at one of her arms, rolled up the sleeve of her sweater, and saw how red her skin was and knew bruises were going to be there; it was partially her fault for struggling, but they had tried to hurt King and wouldn’t listen to her!

Happy cleared his throat to get her attention back on him and had just opened his mouth before the ring of a cell phone cut through the silence. With a huff and a stern ‘don’t move’ he left through the door they came in.

(Y/N) took the time to look around; there wasn’t much. Plain, white, brick walls, two square ceiling lights, and her chair. In two of the corners, across from each other, there were cameras; probably for the people they’ve had to restrain with cuffs or something, something to watch their hands with.

The sound of the door opening had her turning back in her chair. The teen from earlier popped his head in and he was quickly guiding King into the room.

“Oh my God, thank you! Oh, King I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” She fell to her knees and her friend immediately placed his paws on her thighs and stuck his nose to her cheek, seeking comfort. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she made shushing noises to calm his whimpering, “It’s okay, I’m okay, you’re okay.”

“I-is he hurt? Can you tell if they hurt him?”

(Y/N) glance up at the kid, he was wringing his hands together and gave a nervous smile, “I think he’s just scared, he doesn’t like conflict.”

Peter watched as the woman shifted so she was sitting cross-legged and her dog was draped over her lap, his head tucked into her stomach, “Aren’t Rottweiler’s one of the more aggressive breeds?”

“No… That’s a stereotype, formed around dogs that were abused into being aggressive.” (Y/N) smiled down at her friend when his whimpering stopped, “King here was actually being trained as a police dog, but when it came to the… ‘Attack training’ he wouldn’t do it. When they came to the conclusion that he wasn’t meant to be a police dog they put him up for adoption. That’s when I found him.” She bent down and gave King a quick kiss, “Despite the stereotype of his breed and his size, King is just a big marshmallow.”

“He does seem very nice,” Peter paused for a second before suddenly clapping, “King should meet Queen!”

(Y/N) glanced up, her eyebrows furrowed; really, she was just wondering if that would be something James would want, would he mind if she met his dog without his knowledge, maybe, maybe not, maybe he wouldn’t think it was a big deal, but, she knows how important Queen is to him and thinks introductions between their dogs should happen when they finally meet.

Peter took her silence for confusion, “Queen is Mr. Barnes’ dog, and she’s real sweet. I’m supposed to be watching her while most of the team’s out on a mission.”

She gave the kid a smile, “I think, maybe, Mr... Barnes? Should decide.” At Peter’s frown she jumped to quickly elaborate, “I-I-I mean, she’s his dog, you know? And he probably would want to know the dogs she meets, ‘cause sometimes a dog can learn bad habits from untrained dogs... Not that King isn’t trained! I already said he was but I just think... that maybe... he should... choose.” (Y/N) trailed off with a tight smile, silently cursing her panicked rambling.

The kid had stared and when he went to reply the door opened and Happy was there, not looking at all pleased to see Peter there, “H-hi, Happy.” The two continued to stare at each other for a few moments before Peter clapped, “Well, I have had a great time; it was nice to see you again. I will take my leave now.” Before the guard could do much else, Peter was out the door and out of sight.

“That kid... Alright, I’m just gonna ask a few questions to confirm your story and see if it matches with my sources.”

(Y/N) nodded and slowly stood with King pressed firmly against her leg and backed up back to the only chair in the room, with a deep breath she easily relented, “Ask away.”

With a nod of his own happy took off in his little interrogation;

“You have written several letters to one Sergeant James Buchannan Barnes?”

“I guess so?”

“You guess?”

“He never gave me his full name. It was always just ‘James.’” (Y/N) wrung her hands; they were already sweaty with nerves. If she didn’t pass this test would they send her to jail? Would she be fined? Would she up and mysteriously vanish?

“Alright, how long have you been writing to Barnes?”

“Um... Since the second week of March.”

“Why did you start writing him?”

She took a deep breath, the reason itself sounded childish to her, who knows what this guy would think? “I... I wanted a friend.” She swallowed heavily and continued, “I have social anxiety, I-I can’t handle... people, so I wrote a letter hoping for a reply, I didn’t even write to this address! My letter got mixed up in the mail.”

“You didn’t write to this address specifically?”

(Y/N) shook her head, “When I started to guess... what kind of job James had, ‘cause he never told me... One of my guesses was the Avengers, but that didn’t make sense. I mean, you guys must have someone to go through the mail for them to make sure it’s safe, right? So my letter wouldn’t have gotten through...”

Happy nodded along, not willing to admit that they, in fact, didn’t have someone to check the Avenger’s mail, “Alright, last question. Describe, in as much detail as plausible, the events that occurred on July 28th.”

July 28th? July... Oh! The day of the crash! “Okay... um, do I start with the beginning?” with a start nod from the man across from her, (Y/N) took a deep breath and started to explain her day; how King had decided to chew on her pants, to her mother’s surprise visit, all the way up to the crash. How that was the first time she had met James, though she didn’t know it, how he helped calm her down during her panic attack. (Y/N) started to get lost in her memories of that day, not realising how descriptive she was being; not of the day itself, not of how she felt or the events going on around her. No, she described the small smile James had given her, the shock on his face when she asked him to stay with her, his very comforting warmth, how nice it was to seek comfort from him.

Happy suddenly cleared his throat after she had trailed off in her thoughts, her whole face felt like it suddenly caught fire when she was brought back to reality.

“Alright, then. I guess you check out.” He checked the time quickly and made to go to the door, “Now, Tony wants to talk to you so I am supposed to guide you to his lab.”

“Why does Mr. Stark want to talk to me?”

“No idea, I don’t understand half of the things he does. Let’s go.”

(Y/N) quickly scrambled back to her feet and grabbed for King’s leash. It was very intimidating, walking through the equivalent of a military base. They made their way to the elevator and (Y/N) looked to see how many floors there were only to see an empty panel. Her brows was furrowed and she was about to ask Happy about it, when he suddenly called out a floor number and a disembodied voice actually answered. So, the Avengers have voice operated elevators, cool.

The silence was a bit awkward, but bearable and (Y/N) tried not to sigh in relief when the elevator slowed to a stop. But before she could walk out a third person came in, he was carrying a clipboard with an insane amount of numbers and symbols on it. The man seemed to absorbed in whatever he was reading to truly acknowledge them, just a quick glance up and a short polite, but still sincere, smile.

“Dr. Banner.”

The man gave a grunt in acknowledgment before getting back to his work. He blinked for a second before finally seeming to realise there were people around, “Oh, hi. Sorry about that,” his gaze zeroed in on (Y/N) and King, “And you are... I would like to assume Bucky’s friend, then?”

_Who the hell is Bucky?_ “I’m sorry, who?”

The two men share a look before Dr. Banner turns with a, somewhat, tight smile, “Sgt. Barnes.”

“Oh... th-then yes... that would be... me?” the nervous shake in her voice was terribly obvious, maybe coming here to try and meet him wasn’t such a good idea.

“Tony called ahead to let me know you were here.” He held out a hand for her, “Doctor Bruce Banner, but Bruce is just fine.”

With a clammy hand shake, (Y/N) muttered her name and loosely introduced her dog before the elevator finally arrived on their floor.

(Y/N)’s eyes widened at the sight. The bright white light reflected off pristine white walls and the metal tables, chairs, shelves, and machines. The black tiled floor was clean enough to vaguely reflect their images. The whole room smelt of chemicals, bleach being the only thing she could recognise, as well as metal. On the wall opposite of the elevator was a giant screen with several other computers lining the desks underneath, in front of them was what appeared o be a long, grey table.

“I’m guessing Tony called to let you know what happened?” Bruce’s voice suddenly broke her out of her awe.

“What?” _why would Tony call me about Avenger’s work?_ “What do you mean, what happened?”

“I’ll take that as a ‘No’ then.” He gave another tight smile, this one feeling a bit forced and awkward, (Y/N) watched as he made his way over to the long table and press a few buttons, “Tony should be connecting soon, unless the mission is keeping him, he’ll show up on the screen there, so just wait a moment.” With that, Bruce made his way over to the side of the room that held all of the chemicals.

(Y/N) stood just to the side of the long table awkwardly; her hands toyed with King’s leash as he stood beside her. Her mind drifted, trying to make heads or tails of her situation. She drove up to the Avenger’s compound; King almost got hurt, she almost got arrested, she got interrogated, met with the freaking Hulk and was now waiting to face time with Ironman.

A stray thought asked how King was doing with all of the chemicals in the air.

Just as she was about to turn and ask if there was somewhere to keep King for the time being, a ding sounded fallowed by the Tony’s face appearing on screen.

“Hey, (Y/L/N), long time no see.” He just got a small wave in response, “Okay, so your timing isn’t exactly the best today. I am going to want to talk to you about how exactly you managed figure out your pen-pal was our resident cyborg, but that’ll have to wait until I’m back and you aren’t there.”

“Mr. Stark, what’s going on?”

“First, it’s just Tony, please. Second, I can’t say what’s happening, you aren’t even supposed to be there, let alone know something may or may not be happening.” a muffled explosion echoed through the room and (Y/N) jumped at the sudden crash that followed, “Now, you need to be on your ow-“

Tony was cut off from the sound of someone’s arrival, (Y/N) turned to see Mr. Captain rushing from the elevator, he hadn’t seemed to have noticed her yet.

“Dr. Banner, Dr. Cho needs your help with keeping Bucky stable.”

Bruce quickly looked over to (Y/N) to see her face pale slightly. It was Tony’s curse that finally clued Steve in on her presence, his calm and collected face fell and was replaced with guilt and panic.

Her knees shook slightly and her mouth felt like cotton as she asked, “What... what happened to James?”

Today was really becoming too much for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I, personally, don't feel a hundred percent about this chapter, I might make a few changes. It just feels a little jumpy... I wrote this over several days so it just doesn't feel like it flows right... I might be wrong though.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than the rest, I hope that makes up for my absence. This is my first time trying to write any kind of mission/action scene. I'm sorry if it's a bit boring. I prefer to write about cuddles than choke holds.

Bucky had never liked tight spaces.

He could vaguely remember multiple times were he was forced into small rooms or crowded places. Before he and his siblings hit puberty he had to share a room with his sister, during the war it was a small tent with at least two other soldiers and their gear, while during his time as Hydra’s puppet he was kept in small closet sized cells; unless he was being shoved in the cryo-freeze chamber that was only slightly wider than his shoulders and slightly taller than his head. While on the run he could only find small abandoned houses and apartments, the walls always made him feel confined after a disorienting nightmare.

Now that he was free, Bucky relished in having a room at the compound, which was at least similar in size to that of his childhood home. A large California King bed took up the center of one wall; two couches framed a large television on the other. He was given a room with large bay windows, with a view of the surrounding forest, to help him feel less trapped; though they also make him feel more exposed, it was still a nice view. He had a desk and three different tables, two sides and one coffee and he still had enough room to walk around without bumping into furniture. Even now that he has Queen, the room still felt like it could hold more.

He has a walk-in closet now. He doesn’t even have enough clothes for a walk-in closet but he still has one.

So it’s perfectly understandable, in his own opinion anyway, why he was so damn grouchy to have to waddle through the mines again.

At least they found an alternate entry. No wet socks this time around.

Most of the team is there this time; he’s walking along the tunnels with Sam and Wanda, while Natasha, Steve and Vision were crawling through from a separate entrance on the opposite side of the mines and Tony is lying low in his suit waiting for the call to bring him in.

Three weeks of mapping the cave system and they finally came across what could be the right tunnels leading to this secret Hydra base. The recent scouting team of Sam, Wanda and Bucky, himself, had found an increase of guards and Bucky could feel immense relief at the fact that they could finally end this mission.

He couldn’t wait to get back home, he could escape the chilled dark mines, Tony promised to clean out his arm and he could take as long of a hot shower as he wanted to clean away all traces of coal and mud, he could see Queen again and he was positive that he would have at least one new letter from (Y/N) to read.

“Wait, Barnes! “ Sam’s sudden whispered call cut through Bucky’s mind and suddenly the ground at his feet was gone and his body met with water yet again.

Bucky learned from the last time to keep his mouth clenched shut when in these mines and he so glad he did when he broke to the surface of the water, “Why am I the only one falling into these damn puddles.” His hiss echoes slightly and he grimaces at the new layers of muck that’s covering him.

“Tried to warn you, thought you would’ve seen it considering the amount of light in the mines now.” Sam holds out his hands and helps him out of the water; the three all hope they aren’t loud enough to draw attention. Sure enough, when Bucky glances behind him he can make out the lights reflection on the water, he can even see the mud swirling from where it had been disturbed.

“You are normally more focussed. Is there something wrong?” Wanda’s voice comes from his left; he turns with a frown and watches as she pulls a long string of mould from his shoulder, her nose is wrinkled in disgust but her eyes are worried.

Bucky sighs, he takes a long breath and immediately regrets it when the smell of stagnant water enters his lungs.

Angry shouting interrupts their conversation and the three tense up and turn to face the echoing noise. Bucky sees the first shadow and manages to deflect the first shot; he pushes Sam and Wanda down the narrow tunnel to their right and they slide between the rock walls as quickly as plausible. For Bucky it’s harder to squeeze through and soon he can hear the splashes as Hydra agents rush through the water he just fell into. Another shot sounds out and bounces of his shoulder; the darkness was relatively a good friend when getting shot at, but not when he wants return the fire; despite the contacts he’s wearing the shadows and rocks were throwing him off as he tried to see where the attackers were.

Thankfully, the passage the three were shimmying down opened into another hall. Sam stands in front of them as they continue to squeeze through, guns drawn and waiting. As soon as Wanda and Bucky are free, they orient themselves and wait for any indication that the agents are following.

Bucky grabs one of his hand guns from his waist and Wanda’s eyes glow red- though with the night vision contacts her eyes looked completely white- with a nod from Sam they quickly, but quietly, start down this new tunnel.

When Sam suddenly stops and he and Wanda automatically lift their hands to their comms does Bucky realise his ear feels empty, “Shit, my comm must’ve fallen out in the water.”

“Steve and the others were spotted, but they found the base. Stark’s being called in.” Sam pulled a small GPS from his pocket, the map the scouting teams have been able to make shows that the three aren’t too far off from the target. “Alright, Cap. We’re close, just sit tight.”

A sudden rumble shakes the ground and gun shots echo down to the group. With no further prompting the three take off, Sam handing the GPS to Bucky so he can get a head.

Bucky only had to run down a few halls before a group of Hydra foot soldiers came into view. But when he tried to shoot at them before he was noticed all he was met with was a very sad click. He hid behind the corner he just turned and pulled a second gun and tried again only to be met with a similar sound. This time though one of the agents noticed him and the group started to fire.

A bullet grazed his calve as he hid behind the wall again; he reached up to try and call for Sam but met flesh instead of metal, “Fuckin’ hell.”

With a deep breath, he pulled one of his knives and waited for the sound of approaching footsteps. Angry shouting echoed off the walls, explosions from Stark was a constant booming noise and Bucky’s heartbeat was echoing in his ears, but even so; when the first crunch of gravel met his ear, he stopped breathing, his body braced itself and when the sound grew closer Bucky swung his arm out and his blade slid easily into the neck of a Hydra agent. The man slid to the ground when Bucky moved his blade and he quickly bent and picked up the gun the agent had dropped.

He crouched and peeked around the corner, the group was slowly staring to reach him, and one in the back was still calling out for him to show himself. Bucky aimed for him first. Thanks to the echo of the mines a few of the agents had turned to face where they thought the noise came from, those that were still facing forward were soon shot down.

Sam and Wanda finally caught up with him just as the rest of the Hydra group turned back around and they were taking out just like the rest. With a heavy sigh, Bucky stood back up and looked through the guns the agents held, this mission was going in the teams favour but it seemed to be at the expense of Bucky’s luck.

“What are you looking for?” he glanced over his shoulder quickly to see Sam standing behind him.

“All of my guns are water logged.” Bucky stood with the ammunition he was looking for and quickly loaded his barrowed weapon, “Let’s get go-“

The ground below them shook again with the same power as an earthquake, Wanda stumbled forward and grabbed onto to Bucky’s shoulder to steady herself. Shouting came from behind them along with gunshots, “Shit!”

A wave of pain settle over Bucky, starting from his lower back and up through his body, ending in his fingers before a second wave followed, then a third and continued as he moved. He started to act on instinct, pushing Wanda behind him- he could vaguely make out what he was shouting at her, something about running to the others- Sam was facing the new threat, shooting his own rounds. Before he could fire off his own rounds, he saw the telltale glow of Wanda’s powers and the tunnel surrounding the Hydra goons caved in on top of them.

The ground shook again, the construction lights hanging on the walls swung from the power, Bucky clenched his teeth as pain laced up and down his body, “Stark really needs to take it easy!”

“Are you okay?” Wanda asked.

Bucky tried to turn his torso but his nerves burned from his injury, with a grunt of pain he looked at her, “I’ve got a bullet lodged in my back.” He turned to follow Sam as the other man started down the cave again, pain shot up from his calf, “Calf was grazed.” A strand of his still wet hair fell into his eye and he hiss at the sting, “I’m still soaked,” he took a deep calming breath and gave her a tight smile, “Other than that I’m good, you?”

“Better than you, I suppose.” She gave him a teasing smile, before it quickly fell and her eyebrows furrowed, “Natasha has found what appears to be their central computers. But they are quickly being overrun, they are wondering where we are.” She answered his confused look and with a nod she started off down the tunnel, Sam having already left, with Bucky now following quickly.

* * *

The fight seemed to last hours.

Bucky’s hair had gone from being soaked with gross water to being soaked with sweat as he slashed at yet another grunt, he had found his way to Steve in this fight and the two had been fighting back to back for a while.

“It’s like we kicked a god damn hornet’s nest.” Steve breathed out, before launching his shield at the head of another target. “How far along are you, Nat?”

Bucky grab the disposed gun of another fallen agent and shot the remaining bullets at the next wave that seemed to be never ending. He had taken another hit to his knee and his flesh hand was raw from when he caught himself after another tremor knocked him off balance.

He watched Steve pause before yelling out the next move for the mission, “Natasha’s gotten their files, Tony what have you managed to find?”

Bucky shot out the two that were coming up behind Steve, he couldn’t help the small feeling of happiness and pride at the fact that his friend didn’t even flinch as his bullets flew around him. Though he was ticked at not having his comm, listening to a one sided conversation was incredibly annoying.

Another tremor ripped through the ground, the distant sound of falling rocks echoed around the fighting, several shouts followed- apparently there was a cave in.

“Alright, Tony has managed to destroy whatever this base was working on, and Natasha has their data and files. They’ve set up a perimeter that will eventually explode, causing a complete cave in. Everyone move out, we _CANNOT_ get caught in the blast. So, go, now!”

With a quick look to each other, the two soldiers nod and take off down one of the tunnels, following after Wanda and Clint- with Sam and Vision having left through a sudden opening in the ceiling of the secret base. The tremors were starting to split the walls and through the rocks above them.

The track back through the mines was a blur of similar looking halls and too many turns to keep track of. Bucky had turned around at some point when the sound of pursuing enemies made his adrenaline spike unnervingly, he shot the first few that caught his eye and took one of the grenades he had snagged earlier and quickly chucked it at the remaining group. The blast caused a small cave in and helped ease his mind before he doubled his pace.

He tried to keep an ear out for his team, tried to call out to Steve. But the- what he was now considering to be- small earthquakes had made the sound around him bounce to quickly and to loudly for him to properly orient himself.

He heard shouting up ahead and braced himself for a potential brawl, his pace didn’t slow and the tremors worsened with each step he took.

The light of an exit reached his eye and Bucky could hear his name amongst the shouting, he could make out Steve at the entrance and he could feel himself relax at knowing that the mission will be over as soon as he crosses through the cave opening.

That was when the deafening crack of an explosion echoed through the tunnels, cracks ran through the ceiling and Bucky tried to triple his pace but the rocks already started to fall.

Steve could only watch with wide eyes as the mine collapsed in on his best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry, for taking so long. the last few weeks have been pretty busy for me. I was at the Game Grumps live show, I got a new tattoo that made it hard to properly type for a few days, I went to Comic Con, all the while getting ready to move to my new place for college. My summers aren't usually so busy!


	19. *Halloween Special*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after the main story's ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so sorry, for taking so damn long to update. With school starting again, and myself being in my last year of college, I just got swamped with assignments and couldn't find enough time to write out the next chapter. I know I ended with a cliff hanger, but this bonus shows that everything's all right and our soldier and reader get together in the end.  
> But, I am sorry for the wait. I still don't know when I'll be able to finish or when I'll be able to update with a short bonus like this again. hopefully soon, though.

“What’s this?”

(Y/N) turned to see Bucky holding up the garment bag she left on her couch. She was honestly surprised that neither King nor Queen had tried to use it as a chew toy or as a bed all day.

“Oh, Steve let me borrow it for my Halloween costume.”

Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed as he unzipped the bag to show a pristine white dress shirt, one he wore during some of the more formal parties the Avengers were invited too, “Doll? Don’t take this the wrong way, but, your costume isn’t making any sense; the top hat, the veil and sheer stockings? The floor length, trench coat? Who are you supposed to be again?”

She smiled as she watched her soldier pout as he tried to clue everything together; he was sometimes too cute for his own good, “Remember when I told you that I always dress up as a different singer for Halloween?”

“Yeah, last year you were that girl with the spiky orange hair, right?”

“Cyndi Lauper, yes! Well this year, the singer I’m dressing up as wore everything I’m putting together in a music video of hers.”

(Y/N) huffed a small laugh as Bucky mouthed an ‘Oh’ and nodded his head, “Who’s the artist this year?”

“You’re gonna have to wait until Tony’s party.”

“What? But, that so long from now!”

“Bucky, the party’s tomorrow.” She was fully laughing now, and through her slightly squinted eyes, she could see Bucky slowly start to smile. That special small smile he would give her sometimes, it was always accompanied but his bright blue eyes filling with adoration and, sometimes, awe.

“What about you, what are you dressing up as?”

Bucky rubbed at the back of his neck and he felt his cheeks heat up a bit in embarrassment, “Um, I’m not really sure ‘M gonna go through with it.” he took a breath and looked up at her through his lashes to see her just tilt her head curiously, she didn’t push for more information or bug him about holding back, he smiled and explained his idea, “Well, remember that one band from the 90s you were showing me, the Back something guys? We watched that music video, where they end up in that haunted house and they all became monsters?”

(Y/N) smiled and nodded for him to continue.

“I-uh- liked the… I thought the guy whose face was half green and kinda scaly looked cool… It won’t be too difficult of a costume, just gotta wear a suit and I asked Nat and Wanda to help with the face paint.”

“I think that be great, Bucky! We could ask the DJ to play Backstreets Back and see how many people we could get to dance!” (Y/N) clapped her hands and her excitement was a little contagious, it was very different to how she normally acted. Bucky smiled but did voice his concerns, “Uh, yeah, sorry. I just get really excited for Halloween. If and when ever I got invited to a party, people would always say it was like I became a different person.”

“It’s nothing to be sorry for, Doll. I think it’s cute.” He reached out and pulled her into a hug. It still shocked him sometimes, how willing she was to want him to touch her like this. The small ping from his phone reminded him that he was actually leaving for home before they got distracted, “That’s probably Steve.” He mumbled into her hair.

“Yeah, probably.” With a deep breath, she managed to pull herself from Bucky’s warmth, a thing she deeply cherished as the fall days got colder, but still not cold enough to turn on the heat, “I’ll see you tomorrow, though.”

He place a quick kiss to her temple before releasing his hold and slipping his jacket on, he grabbed Queen’s leash and clipped it as the three made their way to her front door, with another hug and chaste kiss, Bucky opened the door and stepped out before turning quickly, “Can I get small hint, as to who you’re going as?”

“Bye, Bucky!” with a laugh, (Y/N) shut her door on his smiling face.

* * *

The party was in full swing by the time (Y/N) arrived. It took her a little longer than she planned to try and get King into his annual costume; all it was, was a white bejewelled shirt and plastic guitar that sat on his back- but when he finally accepted his fate, he made for a very handsome King Presley.

With a quick check in the hall mirror, she deemed herself ready and sent a quick text to Tony so she could make her grand entrance.

She waited for the music to start but was surprised when Tony came out to meet her instead, his eyes immediately locked onto King, as they normally did when she came by, he seemed amused by the costume at least.

When he looked up at (Y/N) though, she had to hold back a smirk as his brows shot up in surprise, “Wow, Ms. Twain, Barnes is in for a delightful shock.”

“Thank you…?” she trailed off, not really sure what Tony was supposed to be as he just looked like he normally did whenever he had to make an appearance on T.V.

“Stark. Tony Stark.”

(Y/N) still looked a little confused, “I’m still a little lost, are you supposed to be yourself, or James Bond?”

He gave an exaggerated shrug, his whiskey sloshing in his cup at the movement, “Why not both? We can have The King, there, brought up to where Barnes’s dog is,” he took a sip from his drink before jumping into why he was out there, “So, I like the dramatic entrance thing- didn’t know you had it in you, to be honest. But, I got to thinking- don’t make that face! I was thinking… how good is your singing?

* * *

Bucky had to resist the urge to check his phone for the tenth time as the party went on around him. He was standing near the wall by the bar, watching as Nat threw together different spooky themed drinks for the guests- he had laughed as the hired bartender was at first impressed then offended when people asked for Natasha’s drinks instead their own.

It was a small distraction before (Y/N) drifted back to the front of his mind. Normally he didn’t mind her being there, but not if the thought of her was accompanied by worry. He had sent a text not long ago asking where she was and she said the parking lot. But he was pretty sure it didn’t take long to get from the parking lot to the building.

He was so lost in thought; he hadn’t noticed Tony sidle up beside him against the wall until the other man tapped his arm.

“Eyes off your phone, Mr. Hyde, and enjoy the show.” He gestured vaguely to the stage where the DJ systems were set up.

Bucky turned to look only to see the lights were all off and the music had stopped, he looked back to Stark only find that he had wandered off.

The beginnings of song caught his attention and when he looked back to the stage he felt his eyes widen and jaw drop open as he took in the sight of (Y/N) - _his_ (Y/N), his introverted girlfriend who can barely order a drink in a café without getting embarrassed and shy- standing confidently up in front of a crowd of strangers.

His jaw dropped farther when she started to sing.

It was some kind of country song he couldn’t recognise- he could barely register the lyrics, he was too surprised- but the crowd seemed to love it. His eyes couldn’t leave the sight of her as she danced around with the mike stand, until she let it go and slid the trench coat and tie off.

At least now he knew how the white dress shirt was part of her costume.

The dress underneath the shirt though, paired with the sheer tights, thigh high leather boots, black choker and the sexy way her makeup was done- it all made Bucky wish he wasn’t rooted to the floor at the moment, either to get himself a drink for his suddenly dry throat or to go up to (Y/N) and pull her away to somewhere private, he wasn’t too sure.

When the dress shirt was pulled off, followed by the top hat, he decided that if he could move, it was so he could get to (Y/N).

He could grab them both a drink on the way out.

The song ended and the crowd cheered and applauded, as (Y/N) grabbed the rest of her costume and made her way off stage.

A sudden clap on his shoulder jolted Bucky from his shock. He looked to his left to see a very amused and smug looking Steve, holding out a glass of water, and too his right he caught Sam standing up from having grabbed something from the floor, only to be handed his phone. He hadn’t even realised he dropped it.

The three were soon joined by (Y/N), she no longer had her trench coat but had put the white shirt and hat.

“Happy Halloween!” she couldn’t get out anymore than that before Bucky suddenly pulled her against his chest and dipped his head to kiss her senseless, he felt her melt into him and smiled slightly into the kiss.

They pulled away with a slight gasp for air, being this close now; Bucky could truly appreciate how sexy this look is on her. Though he chuckled, a little breathlessly, “I still don’t know who you’re supposed to be.”

She laughed back at him, “Shania Twain. She’s a country singer.”

“And the song?”

“One of my favourites of hers: Man! I feel like a woman.”

He nodded before dipping his head back down to kiss her again, when they pulled away he smiled, “I think I’m a fan too.”

(Y/N) giggled before steeping back to give his costume a once over, “Not bad, Kevin, not bad.”

“Kevin?”

(Y/N) smiled as she adjusted his tie a bit, “Kevin was the Backstreet boy who had the green face in the video.”

“Oh,” looked down at himself, “Now, the suit was the easiest part, but I don’t think I‘ll try a costume like this next year. Natasha’s scary if you fidget to much when she works with makeup.”

(Y/N) shyly bit her lip and hesitantly voiced her idea, “Um- how about… next year, we do a couples costume?”

His eyes found hers and a shy smile grew on his face to match her own, “I’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like making Bucky a music nerd, I think it suits him in a way.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure where this'll go, so Tags will change as I go on.


End file.
